


Bringing Balance

by MukDragon



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender, Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: F/F, F/M, Mental Health Issues, Minor Violence, Original Character(s), Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-04
Updated: 2021-01-12
Packaged: 2021-03-07 00:27:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 21,676
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26277883
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MukDragon/pseuds/MukDragon
Summary: Alex Danvers never wanted to be the Avatar, but the cycle had different plans for her.  Join her on a journey of bringing balance not just to the world, but to herself.
Relationships: Alex Danvers/Maggie Sawyer, Minor Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor - Relationship, Minor Lucy Lane/James "Jimmy" Olsen - Relationship, OFC/OFC
Comments: 10
Kudos: 46





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Here is the Sanvers Avatar AU that you all voted for! I am going to be following some canon and some non-canon. For example, I won't be killing off the entire air nation. I know some things that I write in here might not be accurate in the Avatar world (say nicknames) but that is what I wanted for the characters. 
> 
> Please be gentle and patient with me! This is my first time writing for the Avatar universe!
> 
> Enjoy!

Prologue

_Long ago, the world found balance and the four nations lived in perfect harmony. Through this peace, new enemies arose. The Luthors, Masters of Technology had created machines to combat benders while the Fire Nation decided they wanted to rule the world. With these opposing forces, the world was set into chaos. Fighting was a normal occurrence and the people were terrified. Only the Avatar, the master of the four elements could stop them. But when the world needed them most, they were cut down. Legend says that the Avatar would be reborn and that they would bring balance to the world._

Alex Danvers hated her life. She hated the stress and the responsibility she had. From the time she was twelve, she had to care for her younger sister, Kara Zor-El (now Kara Zor-El Danvers), daughter of the late Zor-El and Alura Zor-El. When her parents were killed by Lex Luthor, Kara escaped the wrath of Luthor-Corp (the name of the Luthor Organization) with the help of her cousin, Clarke. The two of them escaped to the Northern Water Tribe, where the Danvers family agreed to adopt and raise a young Kara. Alex was tasked with assisting her parents in raising her new younger sister and she had hated it for a long time. Especially after Alex’s father was murdered by a Fire Nation raid. The redhead blamed Kara for his death. It was immature of her to do so, but she had been young and childish. 

Around that same time, Alex had found out an unsettling truth. She was the Avatar, master of all four elements. She did not want this. She was already responsible for a sister she did not want and now she had to somehow bring balance to the world. Because of this newfound information, Kara was asked to teach Alex airbending…needless to say, Alex was not adept at learning this element. It took her close to a decade to get an understanding of the element. Through training with Kara, the two of them had mended their bond and were now inseparable. One would rarely catch them without the other close behind. 

Now, at the age of 25, she was ready to leave the Northern Water Tribe. As much as she would rather do anything but travel, she had to. She had to fulfil her duty as the Avatar….much to her displeasure. She needed to find an earthbending teacher and a firebending teacher, while avoiding the Luthor-Corp organization and the Fire Nation. Things were not going to be easy trying to avoid two different enemies that would kill her in a heartbeat. Luckily, J’onn, her waterbending teacher had contacts in the Earth Kingdom. There, she could learn earthbending. 

Alex sighed as she readied her bag for travel. It would take her a week to get to reach the Earth Kingdom and she needed to be prepared. If she left now, she should have enough light to make decent time before night hit. The redhead grunted when she was engulfed in an over excited hug.

"Kara!” Alex chastised. The blonde giggled behind her, resting her chin on her shoulder. 

"You weren’t going to leave without me, were you?” Kara asked. Alex frowned and turned in her sister’s arms to gaze into her blue eyes. 

“What?”

"Eliza and the council gave me permission to go with you!” Kara beamed. 

"That we did,” Eliza’s voice spoke. Alex looked at her mother with wide eyes. She did not know they had even been contemplating sending Kara with her. 

"I think it would be good for you to have company while you travel…plus, you would have Krypto,” Eliza smiled. Alex and Kara were lifted from the ground by a large, sticky tongue. 

"Gah! Krypto!” Alex exclaimed. She moved away from Kara to glare at the flying bison. Said bison bellowed in greeting, making Kara giggle. She jumped onto the bison’s head, rubbing her face against his soft fur. Alex waterbended the slobber away and crinkled her nose at the smell. That was not going to go away anytime soon. Eliza walked up to her with tears in her eyes. She gently cupped Alex’s face and the redhead leaned into her mother’s touch.

"Be safe out there. Take care of yourself and your sister,” Eliza smiled. She pulled Alex into a tight hug and the redhead eagerly hugged her back.

"I will. We’ll be back before you know it,” Alex promised. She pulled away to see Kara airbending her bags from the boat, onto the saddle on Krypto’s back. Her sister ran to their side and engulfed Eliza in an even tighter hug.

"Bye Eliza!” Kara beamed. Eliza patted her back and Alex used her own airbending to awkwardly lift herself into the air. She hovered up to Krypto’s saddle before falling face first onto the hard leather. Kara gracefully landed next to her with a frown. “You still can’t land?”

"Oh, be quiet,” Alex grumbled. Kara giggled and gently took Krypto’s reigns. They waved goodbye to Eliza. Krypto lifted into the air and Alex took a final look at the Northen Water Tribe. It was sad seeing the buildings below them, slowly disappearing as they continued to fly. Alex did not know when she would return home. Maybe a month? A year? Maybe even longer? There was no telling when she would get to be in cold again or when she would be able to surf the freezing waves. One thing was certain, when they returned, she would be a different person.

* * *

“Kara, do you even know where we are going?” Alex grumbled. She looked at her sister, seeing the blonde frown at the map she was looking at. 

“Umm…yes? I think we need to keep going south?”

“We’ve been going south for the last two hours.”

“We’ll find it eventually,” Kara shrugged. Krypto moaned in complaint, making Alex shake her head.

“I don’t think Krypto can last much longer,” Alex sighed. Kara put down the map and Alex saw an island coming into view. “Is that it?”

Kara squinted, trying to get a better view of the island. “I think so? I won’t be able to tell until we land.”

“Well, we should probably do that. Krypto is looking tired,” Alex stated. Kara nodded and steered Krypto towards the island. It looked like the island was inhabited, but that might not be the case. There could be a village towards the middle of the island. Krypto gracefully landed before heading towards the shade of the trees. Kara carefully slide down his tail to get to the ground while Alex jumped, then used airbending to lighten her fall. 

“You think there’s a village here?” Kara asked. Alex shrugged and watched as her sister used airbending to bring her glider down. 

“If we go inland, we might find one.”

“What’s the village we are looking for?”

“J’onn said it’s called Haven.”

“Why that name?”

“Beats me.”

“Well, let’s go see if this is the village we are looking for,” Kara sighed. She patted Krypto’s head before her, and Alex started walking inland. The redhead watched their surroundings in awe. She had never seen trees before. There were none in the Northern Water Tribe. She had only ever seen drawings and pictures, and now she was walking in a forest. As they continued to walk, they came to the edge of a chasm. Said chasm had a river cutting through it. 

“I wonder if there’s a village down by the water,” Alex stated. Kara leaned against her glider with a sigh.

“If there is, we are going to have to find a way down.”

“If we follow the river, we might find where it meets with the ocean.”

“I think we could just jump down. It’s not that far.”

“It has to be at least twenty feet,” Alex argued. 

“It’ll be good practice for you,” Kara smiled. Alex sighed and kicked a rock over the edge. She watched it fall, grimacing when she did not hear it hit the ground. 

“I’m not sure about this,” Alex grimaced. Kara picked her up around the waist and before the redhead could argue, the blonde leaped over the edge. Alex screamed as they fell while Kara merely laughed. The redhead focused her airbending, using it at the last second to stop their decent. They slowly lowered to the ground and Alex’s feet gratefully found the solid ground. She let out a relieved sigh and fell to her butt. 

“See! I told you, you could do it!” Kara beamed. Alex groaned and rested her head on her knees.

“Can we not do that again? That was awful,” Alex mumbled. She felt Kara pat her head and looked up to see the proud look in her sister’s blue eyes. She knew that she had done well, but that was not an ideal way of testing her airbending skills. Kara helped Alex to her feet and the ground beneath them rumbled. “What was that?”

“I don’t know. Maybe a Badger Mole?” Kara answered. The ground rumbled again, and Alex shook her head.

“I don’t think that’s a Badger Mole,” Alex stated. The ground shot up and they leaped back, dodging the surprise attack. Attackers sprung from the ground and Kara used her airbending to deflect several of the slabs of earth that were thrown at them. A metal cable flew at Alex, wrapping tightly around her wrist. She used her waterbending to slice the cable then took up a defensive position next to Kara. They were surrounded. 

“You take the ones on the left, I got the right,” Alex whispered. Kara nodded and sent a gust of wind to the left, knocking back some of the attackers while Alex used a water whip to attract her attackers before running towards the nearby river. She did not have enough water in her waterskin to fight, but the river was close. She just needed to get to it. Rocks whizzed by her head and she knew that at least some of the attackers were following her. Shadows passed above her, and she glanced up, seeing some of the attackers swinging from branch to branch with metal cables. They were metalbenders! Alex would have gawked if she was not running for her life. She could just see the river when the ground moved from under her feet. Her body was sent into a roll and she tumbled along the forest floor. Her tumbling came to a stop, right at the water’s edge. A smirk came to her face and she waterbended a protective barrier between her and the oncoming attackers. Her attackers came to a halt, outside of her water barrier. They merely circled her, rather than attacking. Why were they not attacking together? The ground beneath her feet felt warm and she glanced down, seeing the ground turn red. Her eyes widened and she used her water to launch herself out of the lava that appeared. Seriously?! They had lavabenders too?! Alex tucked her body, rolling out of her launch. She got to her feet and felt a sharp blade pressed against her back.

“Move, and you’re dead,” the voice threatened. Alex contemplated using her waterbending. She could probably move quick enough to get her attacker away. Her finger twitched and her attacker kicked her legs out from under her, sending her face first into the dirt. Cables wrapped around her, trapping her arms to her side. “I told you, don’t move.”

“Noted,” Alex grunted. Her attacker pulled her to her feet, and she saw cautious light brown eyes gazing at her. The rest of the figure was covered in a camouflaged outfit, leaving only their eyes visible. 

“No funny business. Let’s go,” the figure commanded. Alex nodded and followed her captor, seeing the other earthbenders following close behind. She gauged her options. If she used airbending, she might be able to catch them by surprise…but her captor knew when she just moved a finger. She would just need to follower their orders. Alex was led towards where they had dropped into the chasm, seeing Kara in a similar state. The redhead was forced to sit next to her sister, and she looked at the blonde.

“You okay?” Alex asked.

“I’m alright. Did you fight metalbenders and lavabenders too?”

“Yeah. I was surprised when the ground below me turned to lava.”

“Who are these guys?”

“I don’t know. Let’s just follow their orders for now,” Alex suggested. The person who had captured Alex took off their hood and mask, revealing a gorgeous brunette. If she had not been tied up with cables, maybe she would try flirting. But, now was not the time for that. 

“What are you doing here?” the gorgeous woman asked. 

“We’re just trying to find a place to rest,” Kara answered. The brunette looked over at a woman with blue hair. 

“She’s lying,” the blue haired woman answered. Kara’s eyes widened and the earthbenders stood straighter. 

“How—” Kara gaped.

“She’s a truth seer. Now, tell us why you are really here,” the brunette firmly stated. Kara looked at Alex for help.

“We were sent to find someone. We don’t know if she’s here, but we were tying to figure out what village was here,” Alex answered. Again, the brunette looked at the blue haired woman, who nodded this time.

“What village are you looking for?” the brunette asked.

“Haven,” Alex answered. The earthbenders shared a warry look and the brunette lifted her hand, pulling Alex towards her. Light brown eyes bored into her dark brown eyes.

“Who’s the woman you are looking for?”

“M’gann.”

The woman’s eyes narrowed, and she used her metal bending to lift Kara off her feet. The blonde woman grunted at the action. 

“We’re taking them to the village,” the brunette stated. 

“Maggie are you sure that’s a good idea?” the blue haired woman asked. Maggie. That was a pretty name. Alex mentally slapped herself. Now was not the time!

“I don’t know, but only a few people know she’s here,” Maggie answered. She used her bending to pull Kara over to them. “I’ll make sure the redhead is secured while we travel. Chloe, I need you to handle the blonde.”

Chloe nodded and Alex felt herself being lowered to the ground. Her feet found the hard surface and Maggie jutted her chin towards the other earthbenders.

“Follow them. If you try anything, you’ll regret it,” Maggie threatened. Alex narrowed her eyes.

“I don’t have to listen to you.”

“You do. This is my jurisdiction, my home. You listen to me if you want to meet M’gann.”

Alex sighed and carefully followed the earthbenders who were walking in front of her. They had found the village they were looking for, but they were not as welcoming as J’onn had said they would be. They were supposed to be a welcoming village that was open to all newcomers. These people were not welcoming. What did they get themselves into?

* * *

Maggie quietly stood by the door as Lucy and James interrogated these newcomers. Besides giving their names, they were silent. They were not willing to talk, and Maggie could see that Lucy and James were getting agitated. Lucy paced while James calmy continued to speak with them and the redhead kept glancing over at Maggie. The brunette had to resist the urge to smile. It was amusing that the redhead kept glancing at her, even though she had no clue who she was. 

“Just tell me who sent you here. Then you can talk to M’gann,” Lucy sighed. Kara kept silent while Alex glared at the shorter woman. She was not going to cave. There was a knock on the door and Maggie quickly opened it, revealing M’gann. She bowed her head in greeting to the woman and M’gann entered the room. 

“I heard someone was here to see me,” M’gann stated. James got up from his seat in front of the women and offered it to the darker skinned woman. M’gann took the seat and Maggie went to Lucy’s side. She gently bumped her shoulder, making the woman smile in return. Her friend sighed and rested her head on her shoulder while they watched the exchange.

“I am M’gann M’orzz. Who are you?” M’gann asked.

“I’m Alex Danvers and this is my sister, Kara Danvers.”

“Why are you searching for me?”

“My mentor, J’onn J’ozz told me that you could help us,” Alex answered. M’gann’s eyes widened and she leaned forward.

“You’re her? Aren’t you? The Avatar,” M’gann asked. Lucy perked up at that and Maggie found herself being intrigued. The Avatar? The world had not heard of the Avatar since the previous Avatar’s death. 

“Unfortunately, yes I am,” Alex nodded. M’gann nodded and looked back at Maggie.

“Can you take the bindings off them, please?” M’gann asked. Maggie went to the women’s sides and gently took the cables off of them. She watched the intrigued look on Alex’s face as she wound up the cables in her hands. Instead of engaging with the redhead, she returned to her spot by the door. She really wanted to leave. It was supposed to be her day off. 

“Why is the Avatar here?” James asked. 

“J’onn said I could find an earthbending teacher here,” Alex answered. Lucy looked at Kara.

“And why is the airbender here?” Lucy asked.

“I wanted to tag along,” Kara shrugged.

“There’s plenty of Earth Kingdoms out there. You could go anywhere else, why choose here?” Lucy questioned.

“J’onn said Haven was the safest place to train. That I could trust your village to keep me safe,” Alex answered. 

“And you can trust the village…so long as Lucy agrees to letting you stay,” M’gann stated. She looked at Lucy, who pinched the bridge of her nose before looking at Maggie and James.

“What do you two think?”

“I think we should train her. There’s no safer place for her to learn than here at Haven…but I’ll follow whatever decision you make,” James answered.

“I’ll follow your lead,” Maggie grunted. Lucy nodded and looked back at Alex.

“You may stay, but you and your sister have to carry your weight here. Everyone here works together to feed our home and keep it safe,” Lucy stated.

“Okay,” Kara and Alex answered. M’gann looked at Maggie.

“Maggie, it would be wise if you were the Avatar’s teacher.”

“Hell no.”

“Maggie—”

“I don’t have time to teach a newbie earthbending. I have my farm I need to run, plus I have to patrol whenever we have someone come to island. That doesn’t even cover everything that I have to do!” Maggie argued. 

M’gann sighed and leaned back in her chair. “I understand, but you’re the best earthbenders we have here.”

“What about Lucy or James?”

“While their earthbending is great, I would feel better if you trained Alex…no offence to you two,” M’gann answered. 

“I definitely don’t have time to teach her, so I ain’t arguing,” Lucy shrugged. James nodded in agreement.

“Don’t I get a say in this?” Alex asked. 

“No,” the room answered. Alex grumbled and Kara giggled beside her. Maggie was not having it. She did not have time to teach Alex earthbending. Not right now. She had too many things on her plate already. 

“Mags, I can have someone take your patrols for you. That way you can focus on teaching Alex,” Lucy offered. Maggie glared at her friend. That did help, but she still did not want to teach her. 

“I bet Alex could help around the farm. You could have her and Kara help you out,” James suggested. Lucy nodded and Maggie found herself contemplating the suggestion. Two extra sets of hands would be helpful.

“Fine. I’m going to need two more bedrolls and clothes for them. They’re going to pass out in those water tribe outfits,” Maggie huffed. Lucy gave her a reassuring smile while M’gann rose from her seat.

“Excellent. I’ll have to send a message to J’onn that you two are well cared for. Please listen to Maggie,” M’gann said. Alex and Kara cautiously got to their feet while Maggie glared at Lucy.

“You owe me,” Maggie seethed. Lucy held up her hands.

“I’ll bring you the best fish we catch for the next week.”

“I want the best fish for the next month.”

“Okay, fine. For the next month.”

Maggie looked over her shoulder at the Danvers sisters. “Let’s go. We’ve got enough daylight for me to show you around the farm. We’ll start your earthbending training tomorrow after you help me finish the chores.”

She saw the Danvers sisters nod and sighed as they exited the small cottage. This was not what she thought would happen. She did not want two more people at her farm. She liked her solitude. Plus, she was not sure if the fox antelope, the ostrich horses, or the chickens would like the newcomers. Hopefully they would, if not, her life was going to be way more complicated that she wanted. 

* * *

Maggie trekked up the hill leading to her farm. Said farm was tucked away from the rest of the village, with a large open field to allow the animals to roam freely during the day. She could hear the animals as they got closer to her home. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw the way Alex and Kara took in their surroundings. It must be weird for them seeing greenery like this when they were used to the whiteness of the Northern Water Tribe. 

“I’ll introduce you to each of the animals tomorrow. For now, you can just hang out and see how I work with them,” Maggie instructed. The sisters nodded and Maggie opened the small gate before letting the sisters in. “This gate it to remained closed at all times. If keeps out unwanted predators, while giving us a way in. The fence around the farm is just to keep the animals safe.”

“So, if they wanted to, they could easily get out,” Kara stated.

“Correct. We don’t keep them here as hostage. If they want to leave, then they may. Hence why the fence is only up to my shoulders,” Maggie answered. She heard barking and several dogs came running to greet them. She dropped to her knees, allowing them to lick her face. “Hey there my good girls.”

The dogs whined and Maggie got to her feet. “The white one is Belle, the brown one with one leg is Bella. They help me heard the animals when night hits.”

Alex carefully approached and cautiously held out her hand, letting the dogs sniff it. They were hesitant at first, but they eagerly started to lick Alex’s hand when they figured out she was friendly. 

“We always wanted a dog,” Alex smiled.

“Correction, we wanted a polar bear dog and Eliza was not going to let us have one of those,” Kara chuckled. She looked at Maggie with a hopeful look in her blue eyes. “I have a flying bison that we rode here on. Would he be able to stay here?”

Maggie rubbed the back of her neck in thought. A flying bison would add a lot more work and they would need more food to feed him. But she did not want them to leave their animal on its own. “If you take care of him, sure. We might have extra space in the barn.”

“If not, he doesn’t mind being outside as long as it’s not storming out,” Kara stated. Maggie nodded and the sound of thudding came to their attention. She turned and a broad smile came to her face. 

“Mom!” her daughter greeted from the back of the ostrich horse she was riding. Her long black hair was tied in a bun and her gold eyes sparkled with happiness. She dismounted the ostrich bird to leap into Maggie’s open arms. 

“Hey there mija,” Maggie smiled. Her daughter looked behind her seeing the newcomers. Her body went tight and Maggie kissed the top of her head. “Don’t worry. They are here to help.”

Maggie moved to stand behind her daughter, placing her hands on her shoulders. “This is my daughter, Kaya Sawyer. Kaya, this is Alex and Kara Danvers.”

“Hi,” Kaya shyly greeted. 

“You have a pretty name little one,” Alex smiled, making Kaya blush. 

“Hi Kaya. How old are you?” Kara asked. 

“I’m twelve,” Kaya answered. She looked up at Maggie with a tilted head. “Are they sleeping in our cottage?”

“Yes, in the spare room we have,” Maggie answered. Kaya nodded and moved away with a smile on her face.

“I can get the room ready!” Kaya exclaimed. Maggie chuckled before looking over at the Danvers sisters.

“We don’t have visitors often. We’ll be rounding up the animals in a bit, then we can have dinner,” Maggie stated. Alex bowed her head.

“Thank you for having us and for training me,” the redhead thanked. 

“You’re welcome,” Maggie smiled. She ushered Kaya to start walking towards their cottage before turning back to Alex. “You might not be thanking me tomorrow when I teach you the basics of earthbending.”

“I’m sure it won’t be as bad as when Kara taught me airbending,” Alex chuckled. Kara glared at her sister before crossing her arms.

“I was eleven when I taught you! I couldn’t help it!” Kara pouted. Alex smiled and bumped her shoulder against Kara’s.

“I’m just teasing you. I think you did pretty good considering how young we were,” Alex assured. Kara still pouted, making Maggie chuckle.

“I hope you don’t mind having soup for dinner. It was Kaya’s turn to cook and that’s her favorite thing to make,” Maggie stated. Kara’s features perked at the mention of food.

“I’ll eat anything!” Kara beamed. 

Alex groaned. “She’s not kidding. She’ll literally eat anything.”

“I mean, I don’t like kale,” Kara shivered. 

“You’re in luck. Kaya doesn’t either. Let’s get going before we run out of daylight,” Maggie smiled. She turned to see Kaya climbing back onto the ostrich horse’s back. “Go rally up the other ostrich horses. Then you can help with the fox antelope.”

“Okay!” Kaya exclaimed. She clicked her tongue and her mount started trotting towards the farm with the dogs in tow. Maggie beckoned the women to follow her, leading them towards their cottage. Things were going to be livelier with four people in their small home, but they would manage. Especially if the Danvers sisters helped around the farm. The chores would go by quicker and there would be more time for her to relax. Tomorrow would definitely be interesting seeing if the sisters mingled well with the animals and if Alex would be a good student. Something was telling Maggie that Alex was going to be a handful. 


	2. Earthbending Is Hard

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alex realizes that Maggie is a tough teacher and a serpent appears

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Here is the next chapter! This whole avatar au is a lot harder then I thought it was going to be. Please be patient with me as I try and figure out where I want this to go!
> 
> Thank you for reading!

Ch. 2 Earthbending is Hard

“Wrong! Try again!” Maggie yelled. Alex huffed as she readied herself for another attack. They had been training for the last hour and her body was beginning to tire. It had been the most grueling, tiresome hour of her life. Even her airbending training had not been this hard. Granted, she had been younger when she learned airbending and Kara was a nicer teacher. Alex knew that Maggie was getting frustrated like she was and that made this even more difficult. The earthbenders lifted a medium sized rock into the air and got into an offensive stance.

“Are you ready?” Maggie asked. Alex got into a defensive stance, squaring her shoulders and planting her feet.

“Yes,” Alex answered. Maggie nodded and threw the rock at Alex while the redhead mentally pep-talked herself. She could do this. She could do this! As the rock got closer, Alex panicked. She could not do this! She weaved out of the way of the rock, letting it collide with the ground behind her. 

“You need to stop thinking like an airbender and waterbender. Start thinking like an earthbender,” Maggie sighed in frustration. She took a seat on a nearby rock, slowly moving pieces of rock. “As earthbenders, we meet our obstacles head-on.”

Maggie made a small person appear from the ground, then sent a pebble at it. The person moved, dodging it. “Airbending focuses on evading.” Maggie sent another pebble, making the person take the pebble and deflect it. “Waterbending focuses on deflecting or redirecting an attack, back at their attacker.”

Maggie then sent a pebble at the earth person, making the person meet the pebble head-on. “As earthbenders, we meet each attack head-on. We let our enemies tire themselves out, before we strike.”

“I know, it’s just hard trying to learn this technique. I’m so used to evading or redirecting,” Alex sighed. She sat on the warm ground with a disappointed grunt. This was becoming frustrating. She wished there was an easier way to do this. 

“Hey, don’t get too down on yourself. It’s your first day,” Maggie reassured. Alex looked up at the brunette, seeing the small smile she was giving.

“Hopefully this doesn’t take as long as airbending. I don’t have a decade.”

“I hope not either. I wouldn’t be able to teach you in a decade. I’d be too old!”

“I’d be in the same boat. It would be hard being the avatar at that age.”

Maggie chuckled and Alex felt herself smiling. Even though Maggie was a tough teacher, she had a kind heart. They had only known each other for a day, but Alex was certain that Maggie was kind beneath that tough exterior. The earthbender looked behind Alex and a dimpled smile came to her face. The kind of smile that meant Kaya was running towards them.

“Hi mom! Hi Lady Alex!” Kaya greeted. The child eagerly walked towards them with a slightly taller child following close behind. The other child had light brown hair and amber colored eyes. She was slightly taller than Kaya with lighter skin than the Sawyer. Kaya helped the girl over a tree stump before they stopped in front of the training benders.

“Hi mija, hi Riley,” Maggie greeted. Riley bowed in greeting.

“Hello Lady Maggie, Lady Alex,” Riley greeted. Alex bowed as well, giving Riley a small smile.

“Are you and Lady Alex training?” Kaya asked. Maggie nodded and flicked a pebble at Kaya, softly hitting her chest. The child giggled and picked up the rock before throwing it back at Maggie, who easily caught it in her hand. 

“We are. But, we’re taking a break,” Maggie smiled. Kaya looked at Alex with a tilted head.

“Do you need anything?”

“I’m alright. Your mother made sure we had water and snacks.”

“She makes the best snacks.”

“Well then, I’m excited for eating,” Alex smiled. She glanced at Maggie, seeing the older woman affectionately roll her eyes. 

“I’m not that good of a cook,” Maggie scoffed. Kaya clambered up the rock to wrap her arms around her mother. Maggie chuckled and kept Kaya from falling off the rock. “Hey! You’re going to fall!”

“No I won’t! You’ll catch me!” Kaya argued. Alex watched them with an amused smile. They reminded her of herself and her father. Of a time before things were complicated and her father was still alive. Of happier times. 

“Hey, I have an idea,” Maggie smiled. Kaya tilted her head.

“Why don’t we have Riley help me and Lady Alex train? I’m sure having a fellow waterbender would be helpful,” Maggie suggested. Kaya smiled and ungracefully slid from the rock…onto her face. Alex flinched at that. 

“You alright?” Alex asked. Kaya held up a thumbs up while Riley came over to help her stand. The waterbending child smiled at her downed friend and giggled at the dirt on her face. She gently wiped the dirt away, making Kaya blush. Alex chuckled at that before standing. “So, you’re a waterbender?”

“I am,” Riley answered. She patted Kaya’s cheek before turning to look at Alex. “Are you really the avatar?”

Alex wanted to say no, but the excited look in the child’s eyes made her rethink her answer. She did not want to hurt the girl’s feelings. “Yes…but I’m still training.”

“Riley, would you be okay helping us?” Maggie asked from her spot next to Kaya. She had moved to check on her daughter, holding her face in her hands to make sure she was okay. 

“I don’t know if I’ll be much help to the avatar,” Riley mumbled. Alex saw the self-consciousness in the girl’s eyes and smiled brightly at her.

“I’m sure you’ll be great help,” Alex assured. 

“All you need to do is send a jet of water at her,” Maggie commented. The brunette had moved to lean against the rock and Kaya copied her movements, making Alex chuckle. It was cute seeing the two of them interact.

“But, wouldn’t that hurt her?” Riley questioned.

“She has to meet your attack head-on. It’ll be less dangerous than throwing rocks at her,” Maggie answered.

“Okay?”

“She’ll be okay. I trust you.”

Riley nodded and bended water from the nearby pond around her. The water weaved around her, creating a ring around her body. Alex got into a defensive posture, giving the child a reassuring nod. Riley’s brows scrunched in concentration and she launched the water at Alex. The redhead moved her hands in front of her, blocking the attack with ease.

“Good! Riley, throw a few more at her please,” Maggie instructed. Riley nodded and she bended two more strikes at the redhead. The avatar could tell that the third attack she deflected was weaker than the first. “With earthbending, we let our enemies tire themselves out. We wait for them to weaken, before we retaliate.”

Alex frowned and got out of her defensive stance. “You aren’t wanting me to attack Riley, are you?”

“No. If you did, I might have to hurt you,” Maggie answered. She moved away from the rock to go to Riley’s side. The child looked up at her with a hesitant smile.

“Did I do okay?”

“You did amazing! You’re bending is getting better and better each day,” Maggie complimented. She ruffled the girl’s hair, earning her a giggle in response. Kaya collided into Riley, engulfing her in a tight hug.

“That was amazing!” Kaya exclaimed. A blush came to Riley’s face and she hugged the excited girl back. 

“Ready to try that with a rock?” Maggie asked. Alex paled at the thought. She was not ready to try a rock. The brunette fell into laughter, making Alex’s heart flutter. This was the first time she had heard Maggie laugh like that. “We don’t have to try it right now. Why don’t we eat those snacks?”

Alex cleared her throat and nodded. “T-that sounds like a good plan.”

“Mija, Riley? Are you two staying?” Maggie asked. 

“We wanted to if that was okay,” Kaya answered. Maggie smiled and kissed the top of her head.

“Course it’s okay.”

Kaya smiled in return and pulled Riley to the pond’s edge, taking a seat on the cool grass. The children silently conversed with one another, leaving the adults to mingle. Maggie dug through the bag they had brought and threw Alex a wrapped piece of food.

“Dig in,” Maggie smiled. Alex nodded and unwrapped the food, revealing a cabbage roll. She was not sure what meat was inside, but it smelled delicious. She took a large bite and could not help the moan that escaped her lips. Wow. That was amazing. Maggie chuckled from her spot beside her. “I take it you like it?”

Alex quickly chewed her food before speaking. “This is amazing! Why aren’t you a cook?!”

“I’m not that good.”

“Are you kidding?! This is the best thing I’ve ever eaten!”

“You need to get out more,” Maggie chuckled. She took a bite from her own cabbage roll with a slight blush on her face. Alex shrugged and stuffed more food in her mouth. 

“I did just leave the Northern Water tribe.”

“Touché.”

Alex looked over at Kaya, who was sitting really close to Riley. “So, I haven’t seen Kaya earthbend. Is she a bender?”

An unreadable expression came to Maggie’s face and the redhead was worried about asking. Maggie averted her gaze, looking towards her daughter. “No. She’s a non-bender.”

“I’m sorry for asking. That was rude of me.”

“It’s okay. We’re used to those questions.”

“Still. That was rude of me.”

“Danvers, it’s fine. Really.”

Kaya ran over to them with a pleading look in her eyes, interrupting their conversation. “Can I go to the beach with Riley?”

“If you promise to be safe and out of the deep water.”

“I will! Thank you!” Kaya thanked. She gave Maggie a tight hug, then bowed to Alex before pulling Riley with her towards the village.

“Don’t ride any elephant koi!” Maggie hollered.

“We won’t!” Kaya and Riley yelled back. Maggie shook her head while Alex chuckled.

“Riding elephant koi?” Alex asked.

“I’ve caught them riding the elephant koi a few times. They think it’s fun, but it’s not. They could either get caught in a rip current or get eaten by a sea serpent.”

“There are serpents here?”

“A few. There aren’t a lot of them though. They usually stick to the south side of the island,” Maggie answered. She stood from her seat and stretched out, before looking down at Alex. “I have to go help the warriors train. Do you want to come watch? It might be good for you.”

“Sure,” Alex smiled as she got to her feet. Maggie nodded with a smile of her own before leading the way towards the village. There was a part of Alex that was scared she would never learn how to earthbend. It was hard unlearning her old fighting habits. She understood that she did sometimes meet attacks head-on, but that was only when escaping was impossible. Forcing herself to not move was going to be extremely difficult.

* * *

A Few Hours Later

Maggie huffed as she stretched her sore muscles. She did not usually work the warriors as hard as she did today, but Alex was there watching. A part of her wanted to show off to the avatar and the other part wanted to show her how earthbenders bent. By showing the redhead how they fought. How they moved. She was hoping Alex would pick up on the bending. Chloe huffed as she sat down, glaring at the brunette.

“Why did we train so hard?” Chloe asked. 

“To show Danvers how we train. Maybe she’ll pick up on earthbending by watching us,” Maggie answered. She got to her feet, seeing the redhead on the hill. She was shaded by the tree she was sitting under and she waved in greeting, making Maggie wave back.

“You sure you aren’t trying to woo her?” Chloe teased. Maggie felt her face heat up and bent the earth that Chloe had been sitting on right from under her. The blue haired woman cursed when her rear end hit the hard ground. “Hey!”

“I’m not trying to woo the avatar,” Maggie grumbled.

Chloe shrugged, “Sure looks like it. Especially when you’re wearing a tank-top, when you usually wear a t-shirt.”

Maggie bent the earth again, but Chloe was ready. The younger woman sidestepped the attack with laughter falling from her lips. Dang her for being so well trained. Maggie decided her best course of action was to ignore her friend and decided to head up the hill to speak with Alex. The redhead smiled as she approached, making her smile in return. There was something special about the avatar. Well, other than the fact that she was just that. The avatar. There was a kindness in her eyes that made Maggie want to know more about her. That and something deep down told her that she should take the time to know her.

“Did you like the training?” Maggie asked. 

“It was a lot more intense than I thought it was going to be. When we trained in the Northern Water Tribe, we never trained like that. Although, our old ways had our men and women trained differently.”

“Really? How did they train?”

“Women mostly learned healing while the men learned fighting. Though, I did change that a bit when I figured out I was the avatar. I may or may not have fought the headmaster and forced him to let us all train equally.”

“Pretty badass of you.”

“Eh, it wasn’t that big of a deal. It was about time that we allowed everyone to train how they wanted.”

“I don’t know how the rest of the earth kingdom is, but here we treat everyone equally,” Maggie firmly stated. She hated how backwards some people were and that was half of the reason why they had founded this village. Everyone here wanted to escape the unfairness of the world and they were trying to create a fair place. They still had a long way to go, but Maggie knew their village could do it.

The sounds of a gong being hit caught Maggie’s attention. She looked towards the gong tower, hearing two more long gongs. A water attack. The kids!

“Maggie!” Chloe hollered. The blue haired woman came running up the hill, trying to catch her breath. “There’s a serpent in the bay!”

“What?! There shouldn’t be any serpents on this side of the island!”

“Well, there is one! It just took out one of the fishing boats!” Chloe answered. Maggie glanced back at Alex who had gotten to her feet. The redhead nodded and the two of them ran down the hill, trying not to fall.

“Where is it now?” Alex asked.

“It’s circling the other boat that’s in the harbor. The kids are on it,” Chloe answered. Maggie almost lost her footing at that. 

“Kaya and Riley?” Maggie questioned. Chloe nodded and they quickly got to the water’s edge.

“The others they were with had swam to shore while Riley distracted it,” Chloe answered. Maggie cursed under her breath. If Riley had taken it upon herself to distract the serpent, then Kaya would have stayed behind to help her. 

“I need the rescue team ready! The rest of you, stay out of the water!” Maggie ordered. She watched the villagers follow her orders and she tried to think of a plan. Their cables would be useless in the water, since there would not be anything for them to grapple onto. Taking a boat could be just as risky. The serpent could target the new boat and that would cause more problems. 

“How many waterbenders do you have here?” Alex asked. 

“Two not including Riley. They’re her parents,” Maggie answered. She looked at Alex with a slightly panicked expression. “But, they’re healers. They aren’t fighters.”

“Okay, that’s okay,” Alex assured. She had to have seen the panic in Maggie’s eyes. The redhead turned to look behind her when Krypto landed. “Kara! I need you to circle above while I drop down.”

“Got it!” Kara answered. Alex looked back at Maggie with a look of determination that had the brunette gawking. The avatar placed her hands on her shoulders and made sure they had eye contact.

“I promise, I’ll get Kaya and Riley,” Alex promised.

“I’ll help. I can pull them up with my cables.”

“Okay. Let’s go.”

Alex helped Maggie onto Krypto’s back before she looked at Kara. “Let’s go. We have to be careful.”

“Krypto, yip yip!” Kara commanded. Krypto lifted into the air and they quickly made it to where the girls were hanging onto what was left of the capsized boat. Riley was lying on the wood while Kaya was precariously sitting in the water. The large shadow of the serpent circled below them, toying with them instead of attacking.

“Kara, I’m going to go down,” Alex stated before looking at Maggie. “I’ll bend them up to you when I get them. Be ready.”

“Okay. Be careful.”

“You too.”

Alex saluted her before leaping from Krypto’s saddle. Maggie watched her go with a sense of urgency. Hopefully the redhead was quick about it. The serpent could attack at any moment. Maggie got to her feet and readied herself to grab the kids. She would have to bend them up quick if she wanted to keep them safe. 

* * *

Alex hit the water with a graceful entry. The water was oddly refreshing, even with the impending danger of the serpent. She easily made her way to the surface, swimming closer to the panicked children. They were watching the serpent’s movements, attentively making sure that neither of them lost it. As Alex got closer, she saw the red in the water. Her stomach dropped and she quickly made it to their sides.

“Lady Alex!” Kaya exclaimed. Alex took in the child’s panicked face, seeing the blood that was dripping from a cut somewhere on the left side of her face. Her blood was falling down her face, forcing her to close her left eye.

“Hey. It’s going to be okay,” Alex assured. She kicked her legs to stay afloat and she looked at Riley, who was worse for wear. There was a gash on her thigh, pouring blood into the water. 

“I helped her get up there as best as I could. She’s been using her waterbending when it got too close, but I think she’s getting tired,” Kaya worriedly stated. Alex nodded and gauged her options. She needed to get Riley out of here before she bled out, but she also needed to get Kaya out as well. The smaller girl looked like she was running out of energy.

“Riley? You see that flying bison up there?”

“Y-yeah.”

“I’m going to bend you up to it and Maggie is going to grab you.”

“Kaya?”

“I’ll get her up there next. But we need to get you up there first.”

Kaya reached over, gently grabbing onto Riley’s hand. “It’s okay! I’ll be up there before you know it!”

A small smile came to Riley’s face and she nodded before looking at Alex. The redhead turned her attention skyward, locking eyes with Maggie.

“I’m sending Riley up!” Alex hollered. 

“Okay!” Maggie yelled back. Alex focused her waterbending below the slab of wood. It would be easier to send the entire thing up, instead of just Riley. 

“On the count of three, okay?” Alex asked Riley. The child nodded and carefully sat on her bottom. “One…two…three!”

Alex used all her might to bend the wood into the air, sending it and Riley torpedoing towards Krypto. She watched as Maggie used her cables to pull Riley the rest of the way up, letting the wood tumble back to the water. Okay, one kid out. Now she had to get Kaya. She turned her full attention to Kaya and her eyes widened. The water was moving quickly towards her. Alex waterbended Kaya to her, right before the serpent exploded from the water. She pulled Kaya closer to her, making sure she had an arm wrapped around her. The serpent hissed at them before diving back under the water.

“It’s taunting us,” Kaya mumbled. Alex glanced down at the tired girl, seeing that she was having a harder time staying above water. “If you hit it hard enough, it should go away.”

“Wish I had a rock to throw at it,” Alex grumbled. She took a deep breath before dunking her head under the water’s surface. The serpent’s body moved beneath them and Alex gauged her options. Waterbending would probably not help, but she could try airbending. The serpent turned in the water and shot straight towards them. Alex used her waterbending to throw them away, dodging the serpent’s attack. She then used her airbending, throwing a counterattack at the creature. It roared in pain, glaring at them in the water.

“I don’t think that worked!” Kaya exclaimed. The serpent came at them again, this time staying on the surface of the water. Alex grimaced. She could just throw Kaya up, but the serpent could either follow her or take the redhead down. Or, she could try firebending. She had never done so, but J’onn had said that sometimes their bending could come in a life or death experience. She closed her eyes, trying to will her firebending to happen.

“Lady Alex! It’s coming closer!” Kaya exclaimed. Alex blindly swung her fist, hearing the serpent screech in pain. She peeked her eyes open, seeing smoke coming from the screeching serpent’s face. It had been hit by fire! The serpent continued to screech and slithered away, leaving them alone.

“Alex?! Kaya?!” Maggie yelled. Alex looked up, seeing Krypto slowly lowering to the water. The bison lowered itself more and Alex felt Kaya sag against her.

“I’m getting tired,” Kaya huffed. Alex nodded and used her waterbending to lift Kaya out of the water. Maggie reached down, gently pulling Kaya the rest of the way onto the bison. Alex then waterbended herself onto Krypto’s saddle with an exhausted huff. She bent the water off of herself before going to Riley’s side. The child was clutching onto her leg with a grimace on her face. 

“Kara, we need to get to shore,” Alex commanded. 

“On it,” Kara stated. She flicked the reigns, signaling to Krypto that they needed to move. The bison lifted back into the air, flying them to shore. Alex turned her attention to Kaya, seeing that the child was clinging onto Maggie. The earthbender was whispering reassurances to her daughter, rocking her in her arms. The brunette looked up at her with a grateful smile.

“Thank you,” Maggie thanked. 

“Happy to help,” Alex smiled back. Krypto landed on the sand and people immediately swarmed them. Kara gently airbended Riley to her parents while Alex helped the Sawyers down. After helping them down, Alex turned to look at Riley’s parents. “Do you need an extra hand with healing?”

“We can handle the healing. If you could just help bring Kaya, that would be helpful,” Riley’s mother answered. Riley’s father carefully cradled Riley to his chest and Alex walked beside Maggie as the brunette carried Kaya. 

“You don’t have to come,” Maggie stated. 

“I know. I want to though. Just to make sure you don’t drop Kaya.”

“I won’t drop her.”

“Never know. You could trip.”

Maggie chuckled and adjusted her grip on Kaya, “Good to know that you have such little faith in me walking.”

Alex smiled and saw a tired gold eye looking at her. “Hey, we’re taking you to the healers. They’ll fix up that cut in no time.”

“Where’s Riley?” Kaya asked. 

“She’s just ahead of us,” Alex answered. Kaya turned in Maggie’s grip looking for her injured friend. Her face fell in worry.

“Is she going to be okay?” Kaya asked. 

“She’ll be okay. Maddi and Tom will make sure of that,” Maggie assured. Kaya nodded and rested her head against her mother’s shoulder. “After the healers, I’m making you that soup you like.”

“Okay. Lady Alex?”

“Yes?”

“Thank you for saving us,” Kaya thanked. She held out her hand to the avatar and Alex gently took it in her own. The child’s hand was small in her own, slightly calloused from working on the farm. The redhead usually hated it when people thanked her, but having Kaya thank her felt different. It made her heart warm. 

“You’re welcome little one,” Alex smiled. Kaya smiled back and her hand slid from Alex’s as Maggie approached the healer’s hut. The earthbender glanced back at her with a tilted head.

“You coming in?” Maggie asked. 

Alex shook her head, “I’ll just get in the way. I’ll wait out here though.”

“Okay…thank you, again,” Maggie thanked. Okay, her heart warmed with Maggie’s thanks as well. 

“It’s the least I could do with you training me.”

“You still didn’t have to help them.”

“I mean…I guess you’re right. But I’d do it again.”

“You’re something else,” Maggie gawked. She carefully pushed the door open, before smiling back at Alex. “See you in a bit Danvers.”

“See you in a bit,” Alex smiled back. She watched them leave through the door and plopped down on a nearby bench. A relieved sigh fell from her lips and she stared down at her hands. Focusing, she tried to bring upon her firebending…to no avail. She recounted the events, realizing that she did not feel anything when the serpent was hit by fire. But someone had firebended and the only one there beside her was Kaya. Kaya who was a non-bender. Maybe she just did not feel it because of the stress. She would have to try again later when her life was not in danger. Regardless, she was going to be focusing on earthbending before firebending more. Mostly because earthbending was tough, but also because she had a master here to help her. She was going to wait for the Sawyers and continue her training with Maggie, even if that meant getting rocks hurled at her. 


	3. A Well-Kept Secret

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A secret is told

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Sorry for the lack of updates to this! I am swamped with school and I have to have surgery next week, so updates are going to be sporadic for a bit.
> 
> Thank you all for reading!

Ch. 3 A Well-Kept Secret

Three days had passed since the serpent incident. Alex’s training was going slightly better, with her not being afraid to meet attacks head on. The only problem was that she still could not earthbend. She was not sure what was holding her back, but she was starting to get frustrated. Maggie had been patient with her, trying to soothe her concerns with every training session. Though the more they trained, the more frustrated Alex became. The only good thing that came out of the training sessions was the time she got to spend with the brunette. Maggie made her heart race and her body tingle every time they were together. There was this sense of familiarity when she was with the earthbender and Alex pondered if they had known each other in a past life. She found herself drawn to the woman, even though she still hardly knew her. 

Alex woke with a start, beads of sweat dripping from her forehead. Another nightmare. She had been having a lot of those lately. All of them were the same. Watching her father get murdered by firebenders. The nightmare always woke her, and she was starting to become worried. Why was she having these nightmares after all this time? Alex sighed and carefully slid from her bed, trying not to disturb Kara. Her sister’s snores filled the air and Alex found herself smiling. Maggie worked them hard at the farm. They woke with the Sun and by nighttime they were exhausted. Alex saw movement from outside the window and she went closer to inspect. A frown came to her face when she saw Maggie and Kaya heading towards the back part of the farm. Where were they going? Alex carefully donned on her clothes and tiptoed out of the room to follow the Sawyers.

Alex tried to stay as silent as possible as she snuck behind the Sawyers. One thing she had learned from Kara was how to basically walk on air, using airbending to glide over the forest floor. She made sure she was far behind them as she followed, staying out of sight of Maggie. The earthbender held onto her daughter’s hand as they walked, leading them towards the same place she trained Alex. Why were they heading here? To a secluded area that only the Sawyers, Alex, and Riley knew about. Alex used her airbending to climb up a nearby tree to avoid being seen while she watched the Sawyers.

Kaya tiredly rubbed at her eyes and Maggie gave her a small smile. “You okay mija?”

“Just tired.”

“We don’t have to train tonight if you don’t want to.”

Kaya dropped her hands and stood straighter. “I do! I just…can we not train for long?”

“You tell me when you’re ready to stop,” Maggie smiled. Kaya smiled back and took a few steps away from her mother before closing her eyes. The littlest Sawyer got into a familiar earthbending stance while Maggie stood behind her. “Okay, remember what we practiced?”

Kaya nodded and opened her gold eyes before punching her left hand forward. What came from that punch made Alex gasp. Fire. Fire erupted from Kaya’s fist, filling the air with warmth. The redhead watched as Kaya punched at the air, firebending with each strike. She moved like an earthbender, but her fists produced fire instead of moving earth.

“She’s a firebender,” Alex awed. Why would Maggie hide this? Did she not trust Alex? The redhead sighed. No use pondering when she needed to get out of here. If Maggie wanted this to be a secret, then Alex being here would not be ideal. The avatar used her airbending to carefully land on the ground…right on a twig. “Crap.”

The ground shot up and trapped her, leaving her head exposed. Double crap. Maggie cautiously approached her with raised hands and her brown eyes narrowed.

“Did you follow us?” Maggie questioned. Alex looked behind her, seeing the panicked expression on Kaya’s face. Maggie moved the earth, forcing Alex to turn her attention back to her. “Did you follow us?”

“I did. I just…I thought something was wrong.”

“The only thing _wrong_ is that you were following us.”

“I mean, we’re both hiding something, which is wrong.”

Maggie leveled Alex with a scowl. “Stop avoiding the question, before I earthbend you into the ground.”

“Okay, okay. I was following you because I was curious. I wasn’t sure why you were sneaking around…but I shouldn’t have done that. I’m sorry,” Alex apologized. 

“Are you…are you going to tell the village about me?” Kaya asked. Alex turned her attention to the child, seeing the terror in her eyes. 

“No. I won’t tell them. Why would I do that? If you two were hiding this from them, there must’ve been a reason,” Alex answered. Kaya released a shaky breath and Maggie’s posture went slack. 

“Promise?” Kaya asked.

“Cross my heart and hope to die,” Alex swore. Her rock encasing retreated into the ground and Maggie went to Kaya’s side. She whispered in her daughter’s ear before heading towards the avatar.

“Sit,” Maggie commanded. Alex sat down and leaned against the tree while Kaya went back to training. Her firebending warmed the area around them. Maggie took a seat beside Alex with a heavy sigh. “I’m sorry for threatening you like that. I just…it’s hard to know who you can trust.”

“You had every right to. I shouldn’t have followed you two like that.”

“Still. Threatening to sink you into the ground wasn’t very kind of me.”

“Would you have? If I had said I was going to tell the village?”

“I don’t know,” Maggie admitted. Alex felt the confliction radiating from Maggie’s body. “I just…I would do anything to protect my daughter.”

Alex nodded and reached out, placing her hand on the earthbender’s. She gave it a slight squeeze. “I would do the same thing.”

The avatar felt Maggie squeeze her hand and the two of them watched Kaya train. The firebender was in her own little world while she bended, looking like she was having fun with her bending. The sight made Alex smile. She had never seen Kaya this relaxed before. 

“She looks happy,” Alex smiled. 

“This is her favorite part of the week. I try and make sure we have a day for her to come out here and train.”

“I have a bit of a personal question.”

“Is it about how I had Kaya?”

“Yeah. But you don’t have to answer if you don’t want to!” Alex assured. She looked at the brunette, wondering what she was thinking. She did not want to overstep and make Maggie think she had to tell her anything. It was not her place to know if Maggie did not want her to.

“I always wanted a kid. From the time I was little, I knew I wanted to be a mom…but it’s hard to have one when you’re into women,” Maggie spoke, watching Kaya with a small smile. “When I came to this island, I prayed to the spirits. I asked them for a child of my own, whether I was granted one through adoption or through some kind of magical pregnancy. I was surprised when I got an answer from them.”

“How did they answer you?” Alex asked. She had never spoken to spirits before, even though she was the avatar. It was hard for her to connect to her spiritual side.

“A badgermole came to me, carrying a basket of all things. When it came up to me, I didn’t know what to do. I had watched and observed badgermoles from afar, but I had never been this close to one. I could feel its breaths on my skin as it stood before me. It lowered the basket onto the ground and inside, I found Kaya. A baby with tan skin and black hair, sleeping soundly in the comfort of the basket.”

“The badgermole gave you a child?”

“I know it sounds crazy, but that’s what happened. When I picked her up, I felt this warmth in my chest that I had never felt before. While I cradled her to my chest, I cried like a fool.”

“And the badgermole?”

“They left after I picked Kaya up. I guess they knew I wanted her,” Maggie answered. Alex nodded and chuckled when Kaya aggressively pushed her stray hair out of her face. 

“How’d she turn out to be a firebender?” Alex asked.

“You know, I ask myself that question every day. I don’t know why the spirits gave her firebending, but I would never love her less because of it. She’s my daughter. Firebender or not,” Maggie answered. Alex was in awe of Maggie’s love for Kaya. Yes, she had seen the love of parents and even felt some of that love herself but seeing Maggie this way brought a whole different feeling. 

“That’s why Kaya is the way she is.”

“Scuse me?”

“I’m saying that Kaya is so loving towards others and treats everyone with respect. Something tells me that she’d throw herself into danger to protect those she cared about,” Alex answered. She stared into Maggie’s eyes, seeing the fire from Kaya’s bending reflect in those brown eyes. “She gets it from you.”

A blush came to Maggie’s face and the earthbender dropped her gaze, making Alex smile. She made Maggie blush! Kaya hesitantly approached them, rubbing at her wrists while she moved from foot to foot. 

“L-lady Alex?” Kaya stammered. Alex tilted her head, watching how the littlest Sawyer tried to find her words. Maggie pulled her hand free from Alex to gently take Kaya’s hands in her own. She pressed a soothing kiss to the reddening skin that Kaya had caused with her scratching, before smiling up at her. Kaya smiled back before looking at Alex. “Could you please show me some waterbending moves?”

“I could…any particular reason why?”

“I like to see how others bend. It helps me understand how others move and then I try and incorporate those moves into my own,” Kaya answered. Alex raised an eyebrow and looked at Maggie.

“How is it that your twelve-year-old daughter is more willing to learn other bending styles than any of the masters I grew up with?”

“She’s just amazing…aren’t you mija,” Maggie complimented. She pulled Kaya into a hug, ruffling her black hair.

“Moomm!” Kaya whined. She playfully tried to push Maggie away, making the earthbender hug her tighter. Her hand continued to mess with her daughter’s hair and Alex found herself chuckling at the way Kaya tried to get away. “You’re messing up my hair!”

“I think the crazy hairdo looks good on you,” Alex chuckled. Kaya glared at her.

“Lady Alex, that doesn’t help.”

“It’s not like you’re trying to impress anyone right now. It’s just you, your mother, and I.”

“Lady Alex is right. There’s no one here to impress…unless you were hoping to look good for a certain someone when the Sun rises,” Maggie teased. A deep blush came to Kaya’s face, making the women chuckle. “It’s okay to have a crush mija.”

“I’ve had a few crushes. It’s a growing experience,” Alex added. It was true. She had a few crushes growing up. Granted, they did not help her when she had started figuring out her sexuality. That had been a whole different adventure for her. Kaya pushed away from Maggie to cross her arms.

“I don’t have a crush,” Kaya denied. Maggie met Alex’s gaze and rolled her eyes, making Alex chuckle. She knew who Maggie was thinking about. Kaya definitely had a crush on said person. Alex got to her feet and held out her hand to Kaya.

“Come on. You said you wanted to see some waterbending moves,” Alex smiled. Kaya smiled back, gently taking the avatar’s hand. 

“You two have about an hour until we have to leave,” Maggie spoke. Alex glanced over her shoulder, seeing the brunette leaning against the tree. She looked tired. Both physically and mentally. Alex could understand how tiring hiding Kaya’s secret would be.

“Hey, why don’t you relax? I’ll make sure we are done in time.”

“Are you sure?”

“Of course!”

“Mija, you okay with that?” Maggie asked. Kaya nodded and pulled on the avatar’s hand.

“Yup! You relax!” Kaya smiled. They did not wait for Maggie’s response and Kaya pulled Alex towards the pond. “Thank you for letting mom rest. She doesn’t get to very often.”

“It’s the least I could do with you and your letting us stay with you.”

“We are always happy to help others. Mom likes to.”

“She’s amazing.”

“She’s the best,” Kaya smiled. The littlest Sawyer looked up at Alex with honesty swimming in her gold eyes. “I think you’re pretty great as well. Mom thinks so too, even if she doesn’t say it.”

Alex’s heart warmed at that. She always hoped that Maggie thought she was cool or that she noticed her, just as much as the avatar noticed the earthbender. Maybe the three of them could spend more time together? Granted, Alex wanted to spend the most time with Maggie, but she would not mind spending more time with Kaya either. Regardless of who she spent time with, the Sawyer women were capturing her heart.

* * *

The Next Day

Maggie woke to the Sun’s rays hitting her face and warmth on her back. She carefully rolled over, hearing a whimper in response. Kaya buried her face against Maggie’s chest, trying to hide herself from the world. The eldest Sawyer ran soothing fingers through her daughter’s hair, doing her best to comfort her. 

“What do you need?” Maggie quietly asked. Kaya buried herself closer against Maggie’s chest, mumbling softly against the fabric of her clothes. The earthbender felt three soft taps on her chest from Kaya’s small fingers. “Okay. We can cuddle. Can I get up real quick and see if Lady Alex and Lady Kara are okay with doing the morning chores?”

Kaya tapped her fingers once against her chest and Maggie placed a gentle kiss to her head. 

“I won’t be long,” Maggie promised. She gently slid from the blanket before pulling them over her daughter. She watched as she buried herself deeper under the blanket before heading to find the Danvers Sisters. Right as she closed her bedroom door, the door across from her opened. Alex walked out with disheveled red hair…that made her look way too attractive for this time of day.

“Morning,” Alex greeted.

“Morning. I’m sorry to ask this, but can you and Kara take care of the farm this morning?”

“We can…but is everything alright?”

“Kaya is having a hard morning,” Maggie answered. She did not want to overshare because it was not her place to. If Kaya wanted to tell Alex, then she would tell her. Alex nodded and stood straighter.

“We got it. You take care of your daughter,” Alex affirmed. Maggie smiled at the redhead. 

“Thank you,” Maggie thanked. She opened her bedroom door, chuckling when she heard Alex yell at Kara to get up. The littlest Danvers was always the slower one to get going in the morning. The brunette went to her bed and under the covers before wrapping her arms around her daughter. Kaya sighed and turned in her arms, burying her face against her chest. Days like these made Maggie’s chest tighten. She wished she could take away those dark thoughts that swam through Kaya’s head on days like this. Days where Kaya would simply lie in bed for most of the day and days when Maggie was worried about leaving her alone. She wanted nothing more than to help her daughter, though she was doing as much as she could…and that was what made it difficult. She should be able to do more. 

“Lady Alex and Lady Kara are going to take care of the chores. That means you and I can stay here as long as you want,” Maggie murmured. She pressed a kiss to the top of her head with a silent promise falling from her lips. Even if she could not help or protect her daughter mentally, she swore she would physically make sure no harm came to her. 

* * *

Midday

Maggie found Alex on the porch, eating an apple. The redhead glanced at her when she exited the small cottage. Her cheeks had a pink tint to them from the Sun and her body had a thin sheen of sweat. Wow, she was pretty hot. Hold up! Back it up Maggie Sawyer. It is not polite to keep staring! Maggie internally smacked herself and she went to the avatar’s side.

“How’d the chores go?”

“Great. We made sure all the animals had water and picked up the eggs from the chicken coop. Then Kara and I trained for a bit.”

“Thank you. I really appreciate it,” Maggie smiled. Alex gave her a blinding smile back.

“Of course…is Kaya okay? I saw Lucy enter the cottage a little bit ago,” Alex asked.

“She’s…better. Lucy said she’ll stay with Kaya while I take you to your surprise.”

“Surprise?”

“Yup.”

“We don’t have to if Kaya needs you.”

Maggie motioned for Alex to follow her towards the stables, hearing the redhead’s shoes on the gravel. “I appreciate your concern, but Kaya was the one who told me I had to take you to your surprise.”

“Is she sure?” Alex questioned. Maggie looked over her shoulder, seeing the concern in those brown eyes. It warmed her heart seeing someone other than herself, Lucy, James, Riley, and M’gann being this concerned about Kaya. Maggie reached out her hand, gently taking Alex’s hand in her own.

“She’s sure. She’s the one who planned this,” Maggie assured. She gave Alex’s hand a tight squeeze before pulling her hand away, instantly missing the warmth. She opened the stable door, heading straight towards the saddles. “Have you ever ridden an ostrich horse?”

* * *

An Hour Later

Turned out, that Alex had never ridden an ostrich horse. It was amusing watching the avatar trying to put on the saddle and even more amusing watching her try and mount the ostrich horse. What made it better was watching Alex try and control the animal while they rode towards their designated location. Luckily, Maggie was able to coax the ostritch horse into obeying and they arrived without having the avatar being bucked out of her saddle. Maggie dismounted and tied the rein of her ostricth horse to a nearby tree branch. Alex cursed softly as she tried to do the same, succeeding after her mount head butted her chest. 

“Okay, he hates me,” Alex grumbled. 

“Beebo is just hesitant of new riders. He’s used to either me or Kaya,” Maggie chuckled. She patted Violet’s beak before motioning for Alex to follow. “Come on. You’re surprise is over this way.”

They walked through the tree line, towards a large crater. Said crater had ridged sides and steep slopes inside. Maggie heard Alex’s gasp and smiled. It was a breathtaking sight. She led them towards the edge and held out her hand.

“Do you trust me?” Maggie asked. 

Alex nodded. “I do.”

The redhead took her hand and Maggie tapped her foot, causing the earth to shift below them. She held on tightly to Alex’s hand, using her other one to help earthbend them towards the bottom of the crater. It was a quick ride, but Maggie could tell that Alex was nervous. Granted, Kara had thrown them off a cliff the first time they were here. The slab they were standing on slid down to the ground, hitting it with a soft thud. Maggie did not let go of Alex’s hand as they made their way towards the center of the crater. She wanted Alex to know that she was safe with her and that she could trust her. 

“Maggie? What are we doing here?” Alex asked. Maggie stopped walking and kicked off her shoes with a smile.

“You’ll see. Take off your shoes.”

“Why?”

“Just humor me and do it.”

Alex kicked off her shoes and the two of them stood barefoot on the rocky ground. Maggie closed her eyes, feeling the vibrations in the earth that signaled the approach of large creatures. Holes appeared around them before the enormous forms of badgermoles bended their way through the earth. Alex’s grip tightened and Maggie bowed her head.

“It’s okay. Just relax and let them sense you,” Maggie whispered. She could feel the tension slightly leave Alex’s grip and she could hear the scuffling of the badgermoles around them. One in particular came up to her, sniffing at her before it licked her with its tongue. A chuckle fell from her lips and she opened her eyes to look into the blind eyes of the badgermole.

“Hello to you too. I’ve brought a friend here today,” Maggie smiled. The badgermole turned its attention to Alex, sniffing at the worried woman. It grunted before licking Alex’s face. 

“Gah?!” Alex gasped. Maggie laughed and wiped away the bit of drool on her face.

“Aww, he likes you,” Maggie chuckled. 

“What was that?!” Alex exclaimed. 

“One, stop yelling before you hurt their ears. Two, open your eyes and look,” Maggie instructed. She watched as Alex’s eyes peeked open before they fully opened in awe. The avatar looked around them in bewilderment as the badgermoles took their turns greeting her. 

“Badgermoles…they’re badgermoles!” Alex exclaimed. Maggie smiled and softly ran her fingers through the badgermole who had first greeted her.

“Yes, they’re badgermoles,” Maggie grinned. The badgermole butted its head against her once more before heading towards the crater wall with the others following close behind. “Come on, you’ll want to watch this.”

The two of them followed the larger badgermole and Maggie could practically feel Alex’s excitement.

"Watch how they move the earth. Feel their power through the vibrations in the ground,” Maggie instructed. Alex nodded and the two of them turned their attention back to the badgermoles. The creatures bended the earth in front of them and Maggie could feel their strength in the vibrations in the ground. Their strength was devastating, yet graceful. They moved with power and the earth obeyed them. “Close your eyes and really feel them.”

Alex nodded and her eyes slid closed. Instead of watching the badgermoles bend, Maggie watched Alex. She watched the way her face crinkled in concentration and the way her body tensed with every movement of the earth. She watched as the redhead’s body almost swayed with the movements and how a small smile came to her face. The badgermoles burrowed into the earth, leaving the two benders in silence. 

"That was amazing,” Alex awed. Her eyes blinked open and she looked at Maggie with a blinding smile. “I’ve never seen anything like that! Is that how you learned to bend?”

"I did,” Maggie affirmed. She earthbended a nearby boulder, lifting into the air with ease. “They showed me how to move with the earth and how to see without actually seeing. I still need a lot of work in that field, but I’m working on it.”

"Will I be able to do that?” Alex asked. Maggie shrugged and broke the boulder into a smaller piece before placing it in front of the avatar.

"Possibly. Afterall, you are the avatar. Now, try and see if you can lift that rock up,” Maggie instructed. Alex nodded and focused on the rock in front of her. It slightly trembled, but it did not move further. The avatar continued to focus before the rock lifted a few centimeters off the ground. It levitated for mere seconds before plopping back on the ground. Alex’s shoulders fell in defeat.

"Damn. I thought I had it that time,” Alex cursed. Maggie gently took her hand, giving it a squeeze.

"Hey, you moved it. That’s all that matters. You’ll get it in no time, oh mighty avatar.”

"Psh, mighty avatar my butt. You just like teasing me.”

"You’re not wrong, I do like teasing you. But I do think you’re strong enough to master this. That’s the whole reason why I brought you here. To learn from the original earthbenders and see their ways.”

“I still can’t believe I got to see actual badgermoles. They’re a lot bigger than the pictures in books,” Alex smiled. Maggie smiled back and guided Alex towards where they had entered, still holding onto the woman’s hand. “How did you know they would trust me?”

“I knew because you swore to never say anything about Kaya. Kaya’s secret is the second biggest secret I have held in my lifetime and it is by far the most important.”

“Second biggest secret?”

A sad smile came to Maggie’s face. She did not want to tell Alex about her past. Not because she did not trust the woman, but because she was not ready to share it. “I’ll tell you about it next time.”

“Thank you…for trusting me and for bringing me here,” Alex thanked. She stopped walking to take both of Maggie’s hands in her own. The earthbended looked into those warm brown eyes, seeing a sincerity that swam in the avatar’s eyes. There was also something else swimming in that gave that threatened to drown her. Something that the avatar should not be focused on right now. Right now, she needed to focus on honing her bending, so she could protect herself and those she cared about.

“You don’t have to thank me. You earned that trust,” Maggie countered. She held onto Alex’s hands, wishing that they could stay like this. That they could ignore the rest of the world and Alex’s duties as the avatar…but the world needed her. It needed her to master the elements and bring balance. “We should go. I bet your sister is starving.”

“Kara is always starving.”

“Exactly. Can’t leave her waiting.”

“Okay, okay…hey, Maggie?”

“Yes?”

“Can we do this again sometime?”

“You mean watching the badgermoles?” Maggie asked. Alex shook her head and tightened her grip on her hands.

“No, hanging out. I like spending time with you,” Alex stated. Maggie felt her heart warm at the idea. Though her mind told her no, her heart wanted to spend time with her too.

“Sure Alex. We can do this again sometime.”

“Promise?”

“Promise.”


	4. Haven Village Festival

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Annual Haven Village Festival

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there! Sorry for the long wait. My surgery went well and now I am slowly recovering. 
> 
> Enjoy!

Ch. 4 Haven Village Festival

A month had passed since Alex and Kara had come to Haven. Though Alex’s training was going well, she was still having a hard time mastering earthbending. She was able to move small rocks which at first had been a great feat. Now, it was a nuisance. She hated not being able to do more. The only positive that came from her training was that her and Maggie spent a lot of time together. They even went to see the badgermoles every other day. It was amazing spending this much time with Maggie. Although, it would be nice if she could figure out earthbending more. When she was not training, Alex was helping around the farm. It was laborious, but fun.

“Alex!” Kaya’s voice rang. Alex lowered the water she had been training with to turn on her heels. She planted her feet and the littlest Sawyer collided into her arms, laughing brightly. 

“Hey little one,” Alex chuckled. She spun Kaya around, eliciting more laughter from the girl. The two of them had bonded just as much as Maggie and Alex. It was amazing that Kaya liked her the way she did. “What’re you up to?”

“I wanted to make sure you remembered the festival tonight!” Kaya beamed. Alex made sure Kaya was steady before releasing the girl. 

“I didn’t forget,” Alex smiled. Kaya had only been talking about it for the last week. The festival was for the founding of Haven. The entire village was excitedly preparing for the festivities. Kaya tilted her head in a manner that resembled Maggie.

“Did you get a gift for someone?” Kaya asked. 

“A gift?”

“Yeah! You’re supposed to get a gift for someone. Everyone in the village gets one.”

“How do you make sure everyone gets a gift?”

“Umm…I don’t know. Aunt Luce is the one who figures that out,” Kaya shrugged. Alex frowned at that. She was not aware that she was supposed to bring a gift. Who was she supposed to get a gift for? 

“Where am I supposed to get a gift?” Alex asked. Kaya kicked a rock into the pond with a thoughtful look on her face. She contemplated the answer before her gold eyes widened.

“You should get a glowing crystal!” Kaya exclaimed.

“A what now?”

“A glowing crystal! There’s a cave on the outskirts of the island. Master Chloe told me that there are a lot of crystals there,” Kaya answered. Alex nodded and thought about who she would get a gift for. Kara obviously…but she kind of wanted to get something for Maggie as well. Maybe even Kaya if she could get her hands on enough crystal. 

“Is there someone on this island who can make them into jewelry?”

“Uncle Winn can! He’s our blacksmith, mechanic, and overall genius of the village.”

“Is he the one who made those cables that your mom uses?”

“Yup! He can make anything,” Kaya proudly stated. Alex smiled and filled her waterskin with water from the pond before looking back down at Kaya.

“Would you be able to tell me where to go?” Alex asked. 

Kaya nodded. “I can show you! I wanted to get a crystal too!”

Alex contemplated that. She should probably not take Kaya galivanting, but she was the only one who would know where to go. “You need to ask your mom.”

“Okay! I’ll meet you back at home!” Kaya beamed. She broke off into a run, waving as she headed back towards the cottage. Home. The word brought a sense of comfort to Alex. She was starting to feel like this place was home. The constant laughter in the cottage. The playful bickering over the last dumpling. The loving looks that passed between her and Maggie. A crystal would be the perfect gift for the woman.

* * *

An Hour Later

Alex gently landed Krypto outside of the cave’s entrance. Kara had wanted to come, but she had a training session with M’gann before the woman left for a trip. M’gann was one of the first airbenders Kara had met outside of her family. Normally airbenders did not leave their temples, but M’gann had chosen to travel instead. Kara wanted to learn everything she could from the woman. Not that Alex was going to complain. The more Kara learned, the more time she had to spend with Maggie and Kaya. Speaking of Kaya. Alex looked over, seeing that Kaya was a little green in the face. 

“You okay?” Alex asked. Kaya nodded and Alex handed her the waterskin, watching as the child took a small sip of the water. Sometimes it was hard adjusting to flying on a flying bison.

“I was okay until we landed,” Kaya sadly murmured. Alex smiled. Kaya always tried to act tough, but she was still human. She could not be immune to everything. The redhead ruffled Kaya’s hair, making gold eyes look up at her.

“You should’ve seen me the first time I flew. I puked everywhere. Took me a week to get the stains out of Krypto’s saddle.”

“Really?”

“Really! Kara didn’t let me fly again for another month!” Alex exclaimed. Kaya giggled and she carefully handed the waterskin back before she pointed at the cave.

“That’s the cave entrance. The crystals aren’t too deep,” Kaya stated. Alex nodded and jumped off Krypto’s head before turning to look at Kaya. The child stuck her tongue out in concentration, readying herself to jump as well. Before Alex could protest, the girl had already jumped, landing smoothly beside her. Kaya stood, brushing the dirt off her pants. She looked up at Alex with a frown. “What?”

“I just didn’t think you could make a jump like that.”

“I jump out of trees a lot. Plus, mom and Aunt Luce taught me how to not break my knees when I jump from high places.”

“Why are you jumping from high places?”

“I’m short! Everything is a high place!” Kaya complained. Alex laughed at that, hearing Kaya giggling along with her. She was pretty short. Alex patted Krypto’s head and motioned for Kaya to follow, leading the two of them to the cave. The avatar was excited about entering the cave. It was going to be fun collecting crystals. They got to the edge of the cave entrance and Alex peered into the darkness. There were no glowing crystals there. Kaya pulled on her sleeve, making her look down. “If we go deeper, I can make some light for us. I just can’t do it out in the open.”

Alex frowned at that. She knew Maggie did not want Kaya using her firebending. But the pleading gold eyes that looked up at her made her waver. “You’re sure no one will see you?”

“Positive. Master Chloe is the only one who comes here and she’s training with mom,” Kaya assured. 

“The second we see someone, you better put those flames away.”

“I’ll be careful. I’ve been hiding my firebending my whole life,” Kaya sadly countered. Alex was surprised by the sadness that blanketed Kaya’s face. She had never seen her sad like this before. 

“Kaya—”

“It’s fine. Let’s go,” Kaya interrupted. She walked ahead, making Alex speed walk to catch up. Kaya’s demeanor was so different now. Melancholy and more closed off. Alex wished Kaya did not have to hide who she was. She knew how hard it was hiding a part of yourself. But she also knew how dangerous it could be if someone found out about Kaya’s firebending. She was safer if no one knew. They moved deeper into the cave and Alex was surprised by how well Kaya was navigating in the near darkness, while she was stubbing her toes and almost falling. 

“How’re you not falling?”

“Mom taught me. She said it’d be good to learn how to walk in the dark and sense the world around me. I’m not an earthbender, so I can’t feel the earth around me. But I can still kind of understand how to walk without seeing. I’m not as good as mom though.”

“Better than me. I keep stubbing my toes and tripping.”

“You should study the badgermoles more. That’s how mom learned.”

“I’ll try, but I’m not as talented as your mother.”

“I think you are,” Kaya murmured. Alex smiled and a small flame appeared on Kaya’s palm. The cave lit up slightly and Kaya looked up at her with a sheepish smile. “I didn’t want to make it too big. Just in case.”

“It’s bright enough,” Alex assured, seeing the way the flames danced off the cave walls. It was hypnotic in a way, seeing how the lights reflected off the smooth surfaces. They walked deeper into the cave and Alex was starting to doubt that there were any crystals in the cave. “Are you sure there’s anything here.”

Kaya ignored her and led them deeper into the cave before clenching her fist closed, extinguishing her fire. The room immediately lit up with the glow of crystals, making the two of them gasp. There were crystals everywhere. From crystals that stood at Kaya’s height to others that towered above them, they were surrounded on all sides. It was breathtaking. They all glowed a soothing green, matching the crystals’ minty color. Kaya ran to some of the smaller crystals, running her fingers over the smooth material. 

“This would be a good size,” Kaya voiced. Alex went to her side, inspecting the crystal. It was a good size. Big enough for multiple pieces of jewelry, but not too big to carry.

“I think it’s a good size as well,” Alex agreed. Kaya smiled at her, then her eyes fell on something behind her. They widened in alarm and panic filled her gold eyes.

“Watch out!” Kaya warned. She shoved Alex away and a blur of white careened passed them. Crystals were sent flying in the air and Alex shielded her face from the falling debris. When she looked up, a menacing creature glared at her. It looked like a gorilla, but it had floppy ears like a bunny and tusks like a boar. She had no idea what it was. A small fireball flew between them, making the creature jump back. “That’s a goat gorilla! They’re really territorial!”

“Get out of here!” Alex yelled. The goat gorilla turned its attention to Kaya and charged, but luckily the Sawyer was quick on her feet. She rolled out of the way and ran to Alex, hiding behind her. “We need to leave.”

“He’s coming again!” Kaya warned. The goat gorilla barreled towards them and Alex paled. He was too close for them to get out of the way. She could try airbending, but that would probably not help. Or waterbending but freezing the water wouldn’t stop him. She had to earthbend. Meet the attack head on. Alex planted her feet and felt the ground beneath her feet shake. She focused on moving the ground. On creating a barrier that would meet the animal head on. She yelled and uppercut her fists, watching as the earth shot up. The goat gorilla slammed into the rock wall, cracking it but not breaking it. It whimpered and ran deeper into the cave. Kaya excitedly pulled on her shirt, making her meet thrilled gold eyes. “You earthbended!”

“I-I did!” Alex stammered. She looked up at the wall in awe. She could not believe she just earthbended. She got out of her stance and moved her hands down, almost squealing in delight when the wall receded. She earthbended again! “I can’t believe I earthbended!”

Kaya jumped onto her back, hugging her from behind. “I knew you could do it!”

Alex laughed and spun around with the girl on her back, hearing their laughter bounce off the walls. She placed Kaya on the ground and the littlest Sawyer ran to the debris. She picked up a handful of the shards with a smile on her face.

“These are easier to carry now!” Kaya optimistically grinned. Alex chuckled and grabbed the crystals from Kaya to put them in the backpack on the girl’s back. She patted it before ruffling Kaya’s black hair.

“You’re right. It is easier,” Alex smiled. Kaya used one hand to hold onto the bag and the other to create another small fire on her palm. The lights from the glowing crystals disappeared and the two benders shared an excited smile. They had what they needed to make the perfect gifts for the festival. 

As they were flying back to the village, Alex had a thought. Maggie was going to kill her if she found out that they got attacked by a goat gorilla. 

“Umm…maybe we keep it a secret that we got attacked by a goat gorilla?”

“Why?”

“Because your mother might kill me if she finds you were almost trampled to death.”

“I think you should tell her how heroic you were and that you jumped in front of me to earthbend the goat gorilla into next week.”

“Why would I lie to your mom?”

“I think you should…what did Rick say? Stretch the truth? That way it’s not lying,” Kaya answered. Rick?

“Who’s Rick?” Alex asked. That was a name she was not familiar with.

“Oh! He’s one of the fishermen. Mom doesn’t like him, but I try to be nice to him,” Kaya answered. Alex frowned at that. Maggie did not usually dislike people. Or at least she did not tell Kaya that she did not like someone. “Besides. Mom likes you, so if you tell her you were being heroic trying to protect me, she’ll like you even more!”

Alex blushed at that. “Your mom likes me?”

“Yeah! She talks about you a lot!” Kaya answered. Alex felt her heart flutter at the thought that Maggie liked her. Maybe her feelings were reciprocated?

* * *

That Night

Maggie helped the villagers finish preparations for the festival, hearing the laughter of the children as they ran around. It was close to the start of the festival, they just needed to finish setting up the rest of the decorations. Though the fancy uniform Maggie wore made it a bit difficult. The dark green uniform, with gold-colored cuffs and a light brown belt was so elegant that Maggie did not want to tarnish it. She had been gifted the uniform when she had risen to the rank of commander of the protective services. It seemed ridiculous that they even had them, but Maggie and her fellow members took great pride in protecting their home. It was because of them that they were still safe. That they had been here for almost two decades and had yet to be found by the outside world. She still remembered coming here when she was fourteen. How scared she had been when her aunt introduced her to M’gann. The trip had been long to get here, but it had been worth it. She had a family here who loved her. A daughter who she would move heaven and earth for. 

“Mom!” Kaya whined. Maggie frowned and looked down from her spot on the roof. Kaya had tears in her eyes and a torn lantern in her hands. “I-I didn’t mean to rip it. I was trying to hang it and I fell with it.”

Maggie slid from the roof, landing smoothly on the ground. She kneeled beside Kaya, gently cupping her cheek. “Hey, it’s okay mija. It was an accident.”

“But now its broken,” Kaya sadly stated. Riley came running over with a pin and ball of yarn. 

“I got string! We can stitch it together!” Riley assured. Maggie smiled at the waterbender. She was always tuned into Kaya’s emotions. If she was sad, Riley did everything she could to make her smile. Riley held out the pin and yarn to Maggie. “Do you think it’ll work?”

“I’m sure it will,” Maggie smiled. She took the pin and yarn, quickly getting to work on the lantern. It was not as bad as it looked. Just a small tear. She bit off the extra string before handing the lantern back to Kaya. “What do you think?”

“It’s perfect!” Kaya beamed. She handed it to Riley before tackling Maggie in a tight hug. “Thank you!”

“Of course,” Maggie smiled. She pulled away to gently urge Kaya towards Riley. “Now go play. We’ve only got a few minutes until we start.”

“Okay!” Kaya and Riley exclaimed. The two of them held hands as they ran away, and Maggie watched them go with a warm heart. She hoped the two of them admitted their feelings for each other soon. They would make a cute couple. 

“Hey, Maggie!” Chloe greeted. Maggie turned to see Chloe approaching with her partner Max on her arm. 

“Hi Chloe. Hi Max,” Maggie greeted back. She gave Chloe a hug before giving Max one as well. “Winn didn’t keep you late this year?”

“No. We actually finished everything early,” Max answered. 

“Good thing he let them out early, because I didn’t want to be late again,” Chloe stated. Max rolled their eyes at that.

“Chloe, we were late last year because you and Winn decided on trying to make a metal fish.”

“He’s the one who had the idea.”

“Speaking of Winn. Where is he?” Maggie asked. She had yet to see him. 

“Oh. He’s flirting with Kara again,” Chloe answered. Maggie facepalmed. Why was he flirting with her again? She had explicitly told him to not flirt with the airbender. 

“I’ll be back,” Maggie grumbled. She walked away from her friends to find Winn. She loved him to death. He was like the little brother she never had. But spirits, he was dense. Kara was not into him. She rounded the corner, finding Winn talking to Kara. The blonde was being polite, but Maggie could tell she was over the conversation. 

“Winn Schott!” Maggie yelled. Winn jumped and turned to give her a small smile.

“H-hey Maggie! What’s up?” Winn asked. Maggie lightly smacked the back of his head, making him yelp. “Hey!”

“That didn’t hurt. Stop flirting with Kara and go find your niece. You know her and Riley are probably down by the water where they can’t hear us calling,” Maggie commanded. Winn pouted and started walking away. “And don’t give them Jemmanite! It’ll ruin their dinner!”

Winn broke into a run. “No promises!”

“Unbelievable,” Maggie scoffed. She turned to look at Kara who was giggling. “Sorry about him. I’ve told him to leave you alone.”

“It’s okay. He’s just being nice.”

“He’s not being too much?”

“Well, he is a bit much. But don’t worry. He isn’t bothering me. Though, I think he’ll be upset when he finds out I don’t like him the way he. Likes me.”

Maggie chuckled and motioned for Kara to follow. She did not spend a lot of time with the airbender. “How’s training with M’gann?”

“It’s going really well! I think I’m close to figuring out how to fly!”

“Can’t you already fly with your glider?”

“Yes, but some airbenders learn to fly with their airbending. You have to let go of your earthly tether. But I don’t know if I want to completely let go.”

“Sounds intimidating.”

“It is. M’gann isn’t pushing me though, so it’s alright,” Kara assured. Maggie led them to one of the large tables that faced the bonfire in the middle of the village. She took a seat, wondering where Alex was. “Alex is coming. She said she had to finish getting dressed.”

Maggie looked at the blonde in alarm. “How—”

“You have this sad dimple when Alex isn’t around.”

“I-I don’t have a sad dimple!”

“It’s okay. Alex gets a crinkle whenever you aren’t around…she likes you, a lot,” Kara stated. She looked at Maggie with knowing blue eyes, making her shake her head.

“No, she doesn’t,” Maggie retorted. She cannot like her. She had a duty to the world. She had to focus on being the avatar. Kara opened her mouth to protest but was interrupted when Kaya came running over.

“Kara! You have to try this!” Kaya beamed. She held out a Jemmanite crystal to Kara, who looked at it in confusion.

“A crystal?” Kara questioned. Kaya nodded and took a different Jemmanite crystal, taking a bite out of it. “That can’t be good for you.”

“It’s not. It’s sweet and sugary,” Maggie glowered. Winn gave them the sweet treat again. Kara took the offered treat from Kaya, taking a small bite of the crystal. Her blue eyes widened, and she chewed faster.

“That is amazing! It’s so sweet!” Kara awed. Maggie rolled her eyes. Great. Another sweet tooth she had to deal with. She looked towards the bonfire, seeing Alex walking towards them. She was wearing a light green dress with a beige jacket and dark brown stomach belt. Her red hair framed her face nicely with a slight curl to them. She looked breathtaking. 

“Alex!” Kaya cheered. She ran around the table, going straight for the avatar who opened her arms in excitement. She picked Kaya up and twirled her, making Maggie smile fondly. No one treated Kaya the way Alex did. The avatar treated Kaya like her own daughter, and it made Maggie’s heart warm. The idea of having Alex being there as a second mother was comforting. Kara bumped her shoulder with a smirk, making Maggie roll her eyes.

“Oh, shut up,” Maggie grumbled.

“I didn’t say anything,” Kara giggled. Kaya pulled Alex over with a bright smile.

“You can sit with us! We always sit here and Aunt Luce and Uncle James sit here too!” Kaya rambled. 

“Mija, don’t pull on Alex so hard,” Maggie scolded.

“It’s okay. No harm done,” Alex assured. She sat on Maggie’s left while Kaya took a seat on Maggie’s right. Riley sat beside her and the two of them ignored everything else around them. They always did this. “So, what do you do first for these?”

“It’s a secret,” Maggie smiled. Lucy walked over, first kissing the top of Kaya’s head then giving Maggie a quick hug. James did the same and M’gann ruffled Kaya’s hair. They took their seats while Lucy stayed standing. 

“Welcome everyone!” Lucy yelled. The villagers whooted in greeting and the brunette looked around her with a bright smile. “Today, we celebrate the anniversary of our villages founding!”

M’gann stood and Lucy bowed to the airbender who stood proudly in her airbending robes. “Nearly two decades ago, an idea came to me and J’onn J’onzz. An idea of founding a village where everyone could live peacefully. We consoled with the spirits, finding this island. They told us of this remarkable island that was away from civilization. So, J’onn and I traveled to different kingdoms, finding lost souls that needed a place to stay. After a year, we brought all of those lost souls to this island, building a home and family. Today, we celebrate that day when we first set foot on the island. When we founded our home, Haven.”

The villagers clapped their hands, and the steady beat of the drums filled the air. Dancers moved towards the bonfire, dressed in bright colors and smiles on their faces. The sound of flutes and guitars joined the music and the dancers veered off, pulling different people into the dancing circle. Maggie smiled when one of the dancers pulled her into the circle. She was always a part of the dance.

“Shortly after arriving at our village, the founder of the protective services of our village mastered two forms of bending that many had never seen before,” M’gann spoke. “Metal bending and Lavabending.”

Maggie used her metal bending to lift a slab of metal into the air, before bending the pieces into a metal swan. Trini moved beside her, using her lavabending to surround the swan. The crowd cheered and the two benders bowed before knocking their forearms together. Maggie gave her a small smile before heading back to her seat, where Kaya clapped, and Alex stared in awe. The look in the redhead’s eye made Maggie blush.

“With these two subsets of bending and the expertise of our truth seers, we have lived peacefully on our island. We thank them for their continued protection,” M’gann spoke. She took a seat and Lucy held up her wooden goblet.

“We stand together, now and forever. To another year!” Lucy yelled. The villagers yelled in agreement. Maggie took a big gulp of her drink and placed down her goblet with a satisfied sigh. “Now, let’s feast!”

The chefs and dancers brought out trays of food, placing a plethora of food on each of the long tables. Maggie’s mouth watered and she saw Alex gape at the amount of food. There was a lot to choose from. Delicacies from the earth kingdom customs, water tribe customs, fire nation, and even some airbender delicacies. Kara squealed from somewhere on her left, making Maggie chuckle. There were lots of foods to choose from. 

The villagers gorged themselves in the food presented to them and laughter filled the air. This festival was the highlight of the year. Where everyone got together and forgot about whatever troubled them. Maggie laughed at the expressions Alex and Kara made while they tried different foods. It was amusing seeing them trying all the different foods that were presented to them. Soon, they would exchange gifts and finish the night with dancing. Maggie felt the smoothness of the bracelet she had made from metal in her pocket with a hint of worry. Hopefully this was nice enough. 

After everyone had stuffed themselves silly, they got to their feet and started exchanging gifts. Lucy and James exchanged gifts between them and M’gann while Winn exchanged gifts with Chloe and Max. Maggie was surprised when Kara gifted her a neatly woven scarf and Kaya a handmade platypus bear. Her daughter had excitedly hugged the gift while Maggie stared in shock. She was surprised that the blonde had gotten her a gift. Kaya pulled on her sleeve, making Maggie look down. 

“I got you something!” Kaya beamed. She held out a bracelet made of polished metal. It was engraved with their names on it and a moon. Maggie smiled and pulled out a necklace from her other pocket. It was made to resemble the full moon and their initials were artistically engraved on the back of the polished metal. Kaya’s eyes sparkled at the sight. Maggie slid the smooth fabric of the necklace over Kaya’s head. “It’s a moon!”

Maggie grinned and slid on the bracelet that Kaya had gotten her. “Same as the bracelet you got me.”

Kaya’s smile broadened and she wrapped her arms around Maggie’s neck. “I love you to the moon and back!”

“And I love you to the moon and back,” Maggie chimed. She hugged Kaya back before her daughter turned her attention to Riley. Maggie turned to look at Alex who was sheepishly smiling at her. 

“I umm…I got a gift for you,” Alex stammered. She held out her hands and on them rested a glowing crystal necklace. The fabric of the cord holding it together was similar to the one that Maggie had gotten Kaya. So that was what the trip to the glowing crystal cave was for. Maggie took the necklace with a smile.

“It’s beautiful,” Maggie smiled. She slid the necklace over her head, placing her hand on the crystal. It was beautiful with the way the crystal glowed. A thought came to Maggie. Waterbenders gifted those they loved and wanted to court necklaces similar to the one Maggie was given. The biggest differences were the thin cord that held it together, rather than a band and the crystal instead of a pendant. Thought it was still a gesture that made Maggie’s heart flutter. “Now I’m thinking my gift for you is lame.”

Alex shook her head and grabbed the bracelet from Maggie. Her fingers ran over the engravings of badgermoles on the metal. The edges were smoothed so she could wear it in comfort.

“I thought because you liked the badgermoles so much, you would like to have something to remember them by,” Maggie nervously stated. She watched as Alex smiled and the redhead slid the bracelet over her wrist.

“I love it,” Alex beamed. Maggie blushed and the music changed. This was one of the songs they chose for freestyling. There was no real dance to it. Maggie got to her feet and held out her hand to the avatar.

“Would you honor me with a dance?” Maggie asked.

Alex gently took her offered hand in her own. “I’d love to.”

Maggie led them to the area in front of the bonfire, feeling a sense of giddiness come over her. It had been a long time since she had felt this giddiness. She bowed to Alex who bowed back, and she held her arm up. Alex placed her own forearm against hers and the two of them moved in a circle together. They then started to move, dancing around each other like water moves around a rock in a stream. They danced around each other in a way that resembled their bending, and they kept their eyes locked. Maggie could tell from the crinkles around Alex’s eyes that she was smiling. As they danced, it felt like nothing else mattered. That it was only the two of them and the music. It brought a dimpled smile to Maggie’s face. She loved this. The music stopped and Maggie held Alex in her arms. The light from the fire lit up Alex’s face and her eyes flickered down to Maggie’s lips. The brunette wanted to close the distance between them, but she remembered that she could not distract the avatar. She lifted Alex back up and moved away to bow.

“Thank you for the dance,” Maggie thanked. She glanced up, seeing the slight hurt in Alex’s brown eyes. 

“I should be thanking you. That was fun,” Alex said with a small smile. Kaya’s laughter caught their attention and they turned, seeing the littlest Sawyer dancing with Riley. The girls smiled brightly at each other and then Riley surprised them by placing a kiss to Kaya’s cheek. A deep blush covered Kaya’s face, making Alex and Maggie laugh.

“Oh, she’s got it bad,” Alex teased. Maggie laughed and placed her hand on the crystal necklace. That made two of them. Alex looked over at her with a smile, making her heart flutter again. She really wished she had taken the chance to kiss Alex. Everything in her body wanted to do just that, but her mind told her it was not a good idea. Not now when Alex had to focus on her training. Plus, Maggie knew that if she fell too hard for the woman, then she would not be able to let her go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments/Kuddos are greatly appreciated and welcome! Thank you for reading!


	5. It All Came Crashing Down

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The firenation finds them

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Here's the next chapter. I'm not even sure who is still reading this, but for those of you who are, thank you for reading!

Ch. 5 It All Came Crashing Down

Alex woke the next morning with a smile on her face. She ran her fingers over the bracelet Maggie had given her, feeling the engravings of the badgermoles. Images of the night before filled her mind and her smile broadened. She had danced with Maggie and it had been magical. They moved so well together that it almost felt like they were meant to dance together. Then it had looked like Maggie had glanced at her lips, just like she had. She had hoped the Maggie would have kissed her, but there was a hint of fear in those brown eyes. A hint of uncertainty. Alex wished she could take away that uncertainty. She sighed and sat up. It was time for them to get things ready. 

Alex went to the kitchen, seeing Maggie already up. The brunette had even made breakfast. Kaya was already eating her food while she kicked her feet on the cushion she sat on. Gold eyes turned to look at her.

“Good morning Alex!” Kaya greeted. Alex smiled and heard Kara yawning behind her. The blonde was always late. “Good morning Kara!”

“Morning little one,” Alex smiled.

“Hi Kaya,” Kara yawned. The two of them went to sit beside Kaya on the cushions beside her. 

“Good morning you two,” Maggie greeted. She placed a plate of freshly made dumplings for them to share. She looked at Maggie with curious brown eyes. “Did you sleep well?”

“I did. How about you?”

“I slept well,” Maggie smiled. She sat down on her own cushion with a smile. “We’ve got a busy day. I want to see that earthbending you were bragging about yesterday.”

“Alex’s earthbending was so cool! You should’ve seen it!” Kaya complimented. Alex blushed at that and looked down at her cup of tea. 

“It’s nothing as impressive as Maggie’s earthbending,” Alex mumbled.

“I’m sure it was amazing!” Kara countered. Maggie chuckled and lifted her cup to her mouth, taking a small sip.

“I’m sure you are great,” Maggie smiled. The four of them ate in silence and Alex wondered what training they would do today. Maybe they could go see the badgermoles again? That would be fun. A long horn went off and Maggie jumped to her feet while Kaya paled. 

“What was that?” Kara questioned. Maggie flicked her wrist and her armor was pulled to her. She strapped it on and quickly went to the door. 

“Mom?” Kaya nervously asked. Maggie slid on her shoes and glanced back with a commanding gaze.

“You three stay here. Don’t leave,” Maggie commanded. She ran out the door, leaving them in silence. Kaya got to her feet and nervously started to pace, making Alex worry. 

“Kaya, what was that horn for?” Kara asked. Kaya looked out the window, no doubt watching Maggie running towards the village.

“It means there’s fire nation ships coming,” Kaya answered. Kara and Alex got to their feet at that. 

“Fire nation ships?” Kara questioned.

“I thought no one knew the location of the village,” Alex stated.

Kaya dropped her gaze and ran her fingers through her hair. “No one is supposed to know where we are. That’s why this is so serious.”

“I’m going to go down there. They could use help,” Kara stated. Kaya went to the door, blocking it. 

“No! You two can’t go! Mom said we had to stay here!” Kaya protested.

“If they brought a lot of firebenders, then they’ll need all the help they can get,” Alex stated. Kara nodded and placed a hand on Kaya’s shoulder.

“We need to help,” Kara stated. Kaya shook her head and clenched her fists.

“You can’t go! Mom is trying to protect you!” Kaya argued. She dropped her gaze and tears gathered in her gold eyes. “Mom is trying to protect us. If the fire nation finds out that the avatar is here, they could kill you.”

Kara dropped her hand and Alex went to Kaya’s side. She pulled her in for a hug, feeling the girl shaking against her. She was terrified. Alex held her close, trying to convey reassurance to her.

“It’ll be okay. They won’t find you or me,” Alex whispered. Kaya hugged her back, burying her face against her stomach.

“W-what if they do?”

“They won’t. But I can’t stay here and do nothing.”

“Don’t show them you’re the avatar, okay? Just use your waterbending,” Kaya stated.

“Okay. I’ll use waterbending if you promise to stay here,” Alex assured. Kaya nodded and moved to the side with red rimmed eyes.

“Be careful,” Kaya stated. Kara and Alex slid their shoes on with what they hoped were reassuring smiles. 

“We will,” Kara assured.

“Remember, stay here,” Alex ordered. Kaya nodded and the adults ran from the cottage. Alex had a feeling that things were not going to go smoothly, and she hoped she was wrong. She was just being paranoid. Things were going to be fine. They would defend Haven and drive the fire nation away. As they got closer, Alex could see the fire nation ships approaching. There was a dozen of them. 

“It’s a full-on invasion,” Kara panicked. Alex nodded and ran harder. She was glad her and Kara were dressed to work the farm because that meant that she was ready to fight. 

“I see the protective services,” Alex observed. She could see the Sun reflecting off their armor. Familiar brown hair caught her attention and she saw Maggie animatedly commanding the fighters. “There’s not enough of us to fight that many fire nation soldiers.”

“We’ll be okay. We just have to have hope,” Kara argued. Alex hoped she was right. They went to the fighters, seeing that they were scrambling to assemble. This was not ideal. Everyone was tired from last night’s festival. 

“Hurry up! Get to your stations!” Maggie hollered. 

“Maggie!” Alex yelled. The brunette twirled to glare at them with agitated and worried eyes.

“What’re you doing here? I told you to stay at the cottage!”

“We wanted to help.”

“Kaya?”

“I told her to stay put and not leave.”

Maggie nodded and pinched the bridge of her nose. “Okay…okay. Just, be careful.”

Alex nodded and saw Lucy run out of her home with armor similar to Maggie’s. The smaller woman nodded to her before going to Maggie.

“Did you evacuate everyone?” Lucy asked. 

“Yes. I had all non-fighters moved.”

“Good…I didn’t think this day would come. Not so soon.”

“Me either,” Maggie admitted. Maggie then reached for Lucy, giving her a hug. Alex could see her lips moving but could not hear what she was saying. By the uneasy look that passed Lucy’s face, it was something she did not like. Lucy pulled away and nodded her head, placing a closed fist over her heart.

“I promise,” Lucy swore. 

“Thank you,” Maggie thanked. She turned to Alex and came to her side, hugging her too. Alex was surprised by this, but she hugged her back. “Don’t do anything stupid. If things get bad, you run.”

“I can’t abandon you like that,” Alex whispered back. Maggie shook her head.

“You have to. The world needs you. If the fire nation gets a hold of you, it’s all over,” Maggie argued. Alex knew the brunette was right. But how could she expect her to just leave? To just run away and never come back. Maggie rested her forehead against Alex’s, staring at her with terrified brown eyes. “I don’t want to lose you to them. You need to run if things get bad. Please?”

Alex gaped at the fear in Maggie’s eyes. She knew Maggie was worried, but she did not know she was scared. She had never seen Maggie scared before. “If I have to, then I’ll leave. But it won’t get to that point. We’ll be okay.”

Maggie sighed in relief before pulling away from Alex. “I’ve seen a lot of miracles in my life, but I don’t think they’ll be one today.”

Alex wanted to further protest but was stopped when the fire nation ships started using their catapults. Fireballs careened towards them and Maggie pulled away to earthbend. She bended a boulder up and kicked it, sending it flying into one of the fireballs. It exploded and the debris landed on the beach.

“Take the fireballs out before they get too close!” Maggie hollered. She bended another boulder and the rest of the benders followed her instructions. Alex rushed towards the beach, hearing Kara right behind her. Alex’s feet found the water’s edge and she bended a wave to tower over the ships. She pushed forward, hoping to push the ships back. Her wave was big enough to hinder the progress of three of the ships, but the others continued to race towards them. She had to push harder! If she could get at least sink some of the ships, then they would be safer. Her hands moved quickly, and she created a whirlpool beneath the ships, watching with a satisfied smirk as they sank. Three down, nine to go. 

“Alex!” Kara warned. Her sister grabbed her arm then airbended a shield themselves right as a fireball came down. The air shield wavered, and Alex stopped waterbending to help Kara airbend. She had promised not to use her other elements, but it would look like it was just Kara’s bending. With their combined bending, the fireball’s explosion did not harm them. Once the fire had died, they let the air shield down. That slight diversion of bending cost them. The fire nation ships docked themselves upon the sand and the bow fell open, releasing the firebenders to the village. “The village!”

“Let’s go!” Alex yelled. The two of them ran into the fray, trying their best to defeat the fire nation soldiers. There were far too many of them and Alex knew they were not going to succeed. They would just tire themselves out before being captured. Her eyes landed on Maggie’s home, where Kaya was hiding. She hoped she could keep her promise.

* * *

Maggie grunted when she was forced onto her knees, feeling the rope digging into her wrists. The fire nation soldiers had been smart, wearing armor made of thick scales and leather rather than metal. How they knew they were a village of metalbenders, Maggie was not sure. No one was supposed to know they existed. How could they know they specialized in metalbending? Maggie watched as a slender woman stalked in front of them, eyeballing them as he went. Her brown eyes glinted dangerously from the slits of her helmet. 

“Is this the entire village?” she asked. 

“Yes, General Sinclair . We found the safe house that housed the rest of the villagers,” a soldier answered. Maggie looked away from Sinclair, seeing the rounded-up villagers. She let her gaze fall on Riley’s parents. Tom and Maddy were trying their best to calm the hysterical children, hushing them with soothing whispers. Riley was frantically looking around, no doubt for Kaya who the fire nation soldiers had not found. She must be hiding well. Sinclair stopped in front of her, diverting her attention up to the woman.

“Villagers, rejoice! You have been chosen to work for the great and powerful World Killers. Our protectors and our saviors. They have asked for one thing return for their protection, your labor. You will be brought to the capital, where you will help us build our empire,” Sinclair spoke. Maggie glared at her. They would not join. She knew the village would not join the fire nation. “You all look conflicted by what I am saying. But I assure you that good things are to come when you join us.”

Sinclair looked around the villagers before looking down at Maggie. “Though, I only have use of benders. The non-benders are useless to me. Lieutenant?”

"Yes General?”

"Dispose of the non-benders,” Sinclair ordered. Maggie felt panic fill her chest while the protests of the villagers filled her ears. They could not do this! 

"Wait! If you don’t need them, then just leave them alone!” Maggie protested. 

"And why would I do that? I promised our rulers, our Fire Lords that we would dispose of the useless,” Sinclair sneered. 

"They can be useful! Just give them a chance!” Alex yelled. Maggie glanced over, feeling a different panic fill her chest. If the fire nation took Alex, then the world would lose the Avatar. Nothing was going well for them. Maggie pried at her bindings, feeling the rope dig into her skin. She had to do something!

"If we willingly go with you, will you spare them?” Maggie asked. Sinclair thought to herself before smirking.

"No because you don’t have a choice,” Sinclair sneered. She walked away, stopping beside the lieutenant. “Kill the non-benders and drag the benders to the ship.”

"Yes General…soldiers! Half of you take the benders to the ships! The others, ready yourselves for disposal!” the lieutenant commanded. 

"No!” Lucy yelled. She tried to get up and was struck down by the closest soldier. This prompted more anger from the benders, and they tried to retaliate, only to be struck down. Maggie willed the earth to move and felt electricity course through her veins. A current of electricity went through her and the benders that were around her. It was not strong, more like a warning strike. Lightning benders. There were lightning benders. Maggie felt her energy leave her body, falling to the ground. If the lightning had been full power, they would not be alive. This was just to incapacitate them and make it easier for their retrieval. Maggie helplessly watched as the firebenders stalked towards her friends. She moved her fingers, trying to will the earth to move, but nothing was working properly. All she could do was watch. The fire nation soldiers got into position and the lieutenant nodded.

"Dispose of them!” he ordered. 

"N-no!” Maggie stammered. She watched as the firebenders launched their fire at the unarmed villagers. They screamed as the fire raced towards them, but before the fire reached them, it was diverted. The fire went to the sky and when the flames disappeared, Kaya stood there with her feet planted. No! She could not be here! “Kaya! Flee!”

Kaya ignored her and met the flames of the attacking firebenders. She looked more like an earthbender with the way she met the attacks head-on, using her own flames to block. Her flames were not strong enough to take on the entire fire nation army, but she was trying. She was trying so hard to defend their village. She slammed her palm against the ground, sending fire dancing along the Earth at the soldiers, forcing them to back away. The soldiers looked unsure of what to do and Sinclair walked back.

"What is the problem?” Sinclair demanded.

"She’s a firebender,” one of the soldiers answered.

"And? We’re all firebenders you fool,” Sinclair scoffed. Kaya punched a fireball at Sinclair and the elegant woman sidestepped the attack. The youngest Sawyer continued to launch her attacks, trying to strike down Sinclair. The general simple dodged each attack, not bothering with using her own firebending. When she was directly in front of Kaya, she lashed out, grabbing onto the younger girl’s wrists. “An untrained firebender? You’ll make a great gift to the sisters.”

"No!” Maggie yelled. She shakily got to her feet and ran towards the general. She would not take her daughter! Sinclair sighed and let her get closer before stopping her by a kick to her gut. The brunette gasped, falling to her knees from the strength behind the general’s kick. 

"Mom!” Kaya exclaimed. 

"Oh? So she’s your mother?” Sinclair observed. She knocked Maggie aside with a kick to her temple, sending her crashing into the dirt. She felt piercing pain in her head from the kick and the screams of Kaya as she tried to break free of Sinclair’s grip. A booted foot stomped onto her chest, holding her against the ground and trapping her hands beneath her. A blessing against the pain. Maggie could bend the earth this way without the soldiers seeing her. “How did a whelp like yourself produce a gift like her?”

"L-let her go!” Maggie stammered. The pressure increased on her chest and she felt like her bones were creaking.

"Let her go? Darling, I am saving her. Taking her to our training facilities that will mold her into a powerful firebender,” Sinclair explained.

"I don’t want to go! You can’t make me!” Kaya protested. She uselessly kneed Sinclair in the gut, hitting the armor she wore. 

"Child, you have no choice. You belong with fellow firebenders, not these peasants,” Sinclair sighed. She shoved Kaya into the waiting arms of her lieutenant who easily subdued the young firebender. “Take her to the ship. The sisters will want her.”

"Mom!” Kaya exclaimed. Maggie’s hands finally broke free from the ropes and she metalbended her cables to strike. The whirled around her, striking the firebenders who were unprepared. Sinclair dodged her attack, along with the lieutenant. She got to her feet and struck out, cutting the binds on the other benders before charging at the lieutenant. Sinclair firebended a wall of flames, forcing her to stop. The flames were too large to jump over and she needed help to put out the flames. Going around would be quicker. 

"Take care of the soldiers!” Maggie commanded. She slapped a firebender aside with her cables before running. 

"Maggie, wait!” Alex yelled. Maggie ignored the redhead, focusing on the spot where the wall of flames did not stand. She had to get to Kaya before the ship pulled away. If she did not, then she would lose her. She rounded the corner, seeing some of the soldiers entering the ships and leaving behind those who were unlucky enough to be stuck on the wrong side of the wall. One ship in particular started to pull away and she saw Sinclair standing on the dock with Kaya being held still by the lieutenant. The general smirked at her from her spot on the dock, making Maggie’s blood boil. She was taunting her. Maggie ran to the water’s edge, planting her feet and the cables into the dirt before holding her hands in front of her. She felt the familiar pull of bending metal, focusing on the ship that had her daughter. Said ship stopped moving and she slowly moved her hands closer to her body, pulling the ship back. It felt like her arms were being ripped from their sockets and like her head was being crushed beneath a boulder from how hard she was metalbending. She had never bended something this large before, nor something that was moving away from her. But she would not stop. Even when she felt blood start to drip from her nose. She yelled as she pulled the ship closer to shore and she saw Kaya struggling to free herself. Just a little more and they would be close enough for her to use her cables. She was focused so hard on metalbending the ship that she did not see Sinclair moved closer to the edge. Nor did she see the woman gather her lightning. However, she did notice it as the lightning shot at her. She had no time to dodge the strike, feeling it strike her in the right shoulder and sending her flying back. Her body numbly hit the ground and the world around her darkened. Though her body was numb, and her vision was failing, she could hear Kaya’s screaming for her. Before her world was consumed by darkness, one thought swam through her head. She had failed to protect Kaya.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments/kudos are welcome and appreciated

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and Kuddos are welcome and greatly appreciated! 
> 
> I will be trying to work on my action scenes, because I know they are not the best.


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